Evaluation Q. 1

In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Other Real Media Products?
When analysing and evaluating how my media product utilised conventions of other real media products, it's important to look at it from certain perspectives. Firstly, you must compare it with the generic conventions surrounding feature films and feature film openings in general. Furthermore, the elements that make up my film opening must be compared to its chosen genre, as the genre of a film is one of the main drivers that define a film's codes and conventions. This means I will primarily be evaluating the extent to which my film opening conformed to the conventions of the Post-Apocalyptic genre as well as the Drama genre. During my research and planning phase, I researched the many conventions of these genres and analysed professional and amateur film openings in both my chosen genres as well as generic film openings. I also conducted research into what the general public expected from film openings and film openings in my genres, so I had a clear idea as to what both entailed and could apply this to my film opening sequence. 

Title of Film 
The image below depicts the title of my film as shown in my opening sequence. 

Placement of Title
It is common, in generic feature film openings, for the title to be placed in between the opening sequence and the rest of the film. I decided to uphold this convention and placed the title at the end of my opening sequence as this would separate the scene from the rest of the film. This is an effective method because separating the opening scene from the film makes it more memorable as it stands out - a more memorable opening sequence is, therefore, a successful film opening. The brief interlude created by separating the two is also effective because it separates the audience from the film too. This will, therefore, leave them gripped and anticipating the rest of the film more because they have to wait a brief moment while the title is on screen before the rest of the film begins, so this placement will excite the audience more. This is why it is common for the title to separate the majority of the film from the opening sequence and hence why I chose to follow the convention. Furthermore, the title's passive and friendly connotations correspond with the scene in which the protagonist meets the dog as the rest of the opening sequence is very heavy and the idea of a 'companion' would contradict with the theme of isolation and desperation created in the first part of the sequence. It also wouldn't make sense in any other part as the audience has not yet met the 'companion'. This is an example of me following convention, once again, as placing the title where it makes the most sense is common within films. Take the Post-Apocalyptic animated feature film Wall-E for example, the title 'Wall-E' doesn't appear on screen until after the audience has actually met Wall-E. 

The Title Itself
The title itself, 'The Companion', is a conventional title because it directly correlates with what the film is about - the man and his companion. Although in the opening sequence, the dog is not yet established as his friend, the audience can understand that he soon will be and therefore it links to what the actual film is about and therefore plays to generic film opening norms. Also, having a short and to-the-point style is common in both post-apocalyptic and drama films as having a short and snappy title means it's easy to remember for the public and sounds far more dramatic. 'The Companion' is very short and snappy and therefore conforms to the generic convention asking that film titles are simple. On the contrary, when comparing it to real media products within the Post-Apocalyptic genre, it's fairly unconventional because it sounds a lot more passive and positive than the dark themes addressed in the Post-Apocalyptic genre. Post-apocalyptic films tend to have titles that correlate with destruction or isolation, such as 'Doomsday' or 'The Last Man On Earth'. 'The Companion' does the exact opposite of this as it has the opposite meaning to being alone and it sounds light and happy, therefore showing that I have challenged a typical norm within the post-apocalyptic genre. 

Title Style
When presenting my title, I wanted to be a bit more unconventional. In the post-apocalyptic genre, distressed looking fonts are more common as they correlate with the destroyed environment in which the genre is defined by. Take the title of 28 Days Later for example, a post-apocalyptic film. It's typed in a very distressed font with a logo picture iconically associated with the post-apocalyptic genre. I chose to challenge this convention because, firstly, I wanted to maintain consistency to create a seamless, professional effect by keeping the title the same style to the credits. Furthermore, a destroyed font that connotes danger or destruction would correspond with the lighthearted footage involving the dog, where the mood has been lifted. I wanted the scene to be wholesome and lighthearted, and using a distressed style would definitely not emphasise this, hence why I challenged this particular norm. In terms of transition, it is common for the title to be solely seen against a solidly coloured backdrop, or solely against the footage of the film. I developed on these conventions by placing the title on both, when the footage ended it cut to a black screen however the title still remained onscreen. The reason I developed on these conventions is because I wanted the title to be directly linked to the scene in which the dog arrives, so putting it on top of the footage stressed this. However, I still wanted the audience to really absorb the title, so putting it against a black backdrop once the footage had cut was the most effective way for them to really do this because there was no footage for them to be distracted by. Furthermore, incorporating the black screen reinforces the idea of a brief interlude that leaves the audience anticipating the rest of the film and therefore build excitement. This is why I developed on both of these conventions. 


Setting/Location

The setting shown in post-apocalyptic film
 'The Road'. Brown tones.

When forming the ideal setting in my mind, I referred primarily to the post-apocalyptic conventions as opposed to the drama genre or generic feature films. This is because, firstly, drama films do not typically have a specific iconic setting so long as they're realistic and correspond with the character's situation - which it does. Secondly, post-apocalyptic films are almost solely defined by their setting, if I didn't conform to the conventions surrounding a post-apocalyptic setting then it would not be a post-apocalyptic film, full stop (unless, of course, the setting changes to a post-apocalyptic environment later in the film, but I wanted my genre to be identified almost immediately). A typical post-apocalyptic setting would generally convey desolation and death - it would be isolated and look rundown as there is no longer a structured civilisation present in the world. Rural environments would be overgrown and buildings would be decayed and derelict.  Common colours seen in post-apocalyptic settings are brown, earthy/sombre tones. I played on this convention by, firstly, involving an

abandoned and rundown chapel - though the audience cannot explicitly see it is a chapel. The audience can see that it's boarded up, overgrown with ivy, moss and vegetation and is decayed. Therefore, it is a conventional location for a post-apocalyptic film because it conveys isolation and abandonment perfectly. On the contrary, when involving my scenic location at Thetford Forest, I did develop the conventions a little. Instead of conveying death and destruction through the environment, I wanted to maintain an element of peace to emphasise the beauty and emotional nature of the scene. I did decide to use a landscape overgrown with dead and brown vegetation and incorporate an empty setting to conform to the conventions of a post-apocalyptic setting, however, I intentionally selected a day in which it was sunny, as sunshine seeping through the trees and vegetation made the overgrown and isolated environment look peaceful and therefore corresponded with the themes of my film in particular as opposed to just the themes of the post-apocalyptic genre. I still used a post-apocalyptic, overgrown and earthy environment, but just twisted it a little to connote peace rather than unsettle the audience, therefore developed on the convention slightly. Another location used in my film opening that really conformed to the post-apocalyptic film setting was the road. The road seen near the beginning of the opening was empty, long and straight. The emptiness of something that would typically be full of traffic really showed that there was no civilisation and emphasised how isolated the setting was, therefore was a conventional location to use. In terms of time, post-apocalyptic films are usually set in the future or on an alternate timeline - definitely not in the present world though. I made this clear by using an unfamiliar setting that clearly wasn't part of our contemporary world.

Costumes and Props
Again, I followed the post-apocalyptic genre conventions regarding costume and props because, yet again, drama films do not have iconic costumes and props so long as they're realistic to the situation. Costumes and props make a huge part up of the iconography surrounding post-apocalyptic films, they help construct the mise-en-scene to allow the audience to be convinced by the film as well as identify the genre. Costumes will include rugged survivor type costumes, often involving earthy or sombre colours such as greens, browns, greys and blacks. Gas masks are commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films as well as weapons to play on the themes of death, destruction or violence commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films. I followed these conventions closely so that, when paired with my location, the audience could really understand that it was set in a post-apocalyptic setting. 

Props
One of the first props seen by the audience is an animal skull and another is later seen half way through the sequence. I incorporated these props purely to help construct the mise-en-scene and aid the exposition created in my opening. Although it isn't necessarily common to see skulls in post-apocalyptic films, it is common to see environments that represent death, destruction and decay. I thought the perfect way to

channel death and decay in a subtle way was through incorporating the skulls. I made my actor ignore them which made it seem as though he was conditioned to this destroyed environment, suggesting to the audience that firstly, the setting had been like this for a while, therefore denoting history and thus aiding the exposition. Secondly, that death was the normal thing for the world that he lived in. It also suggested something about his character, that he was so 'dead inside' to even be phased by something so unsettling. Therefore, I used the convention of using props to connote death, however, developed on this convention by using something that isn't commonly seen in generic films. Another prop I used was a gun - guns are very commonly used in post-apocalyptic films. This being said, although I followed the convention of using a gun, the type of gun I used was less common in post-apocalyptic films. Guns seen in post-apocalyptic films are generally very built up, large or shot-gun type of guns.

Stereotypical gun seen in post-apocalyptic films

 They often look broken or developed on to really reinforce the idea of survival/scavaging for survival. The gun I used was a pistol, which is a very simple looking gun. The reason I wanted to use a more simple looking gun as opposed to the larger or more complex gun commonly seen in the post-apocalyptic genre was because I wanted the simplicity to reflect on the idea that the protagonist was in his most bare state - which was also reflected through the natural setting. This is why I developed on this convention slightly. A prop I did closely follow convention with was the weapon used to kill the female character. Handmade weapons are often used in post-apocalyptic films because there are no modern resources so the characters often have to scavenge or make their own supplies. I used a handmade weapon with multiple materials wrapped around such as duct tape and various fabrics. This reflected the idea that the murderer had to make it, also reflecting his bloodthirsty nature as he went out of his way to make a weapon with found supplies, suggesting his priorities. This is why I followed this convention. It is common for post-apocalyptic characters to be carrying luggage as they're obviously surviving in the world, this is why I made my character carry a bag. 

Left: iconic post-apocalyptic outfit
Right: my protagonist's outfit

Costume

Costumes in post-apocalyptic films are very similar throughout the genre. They're often very rugged and of sombre/earthy colours. Characters will often be layered up with weapons, tools and multiple garments - they look like they've been surviving for a while. They'll be quite concealed and often wear gas masks, hoods or masks. I followed this convention by dressing my protagonist in green and brown colours, layering him up with a coat, boots and a brown scarf, really emphasising the fact that he is a survivor and therefore conforming to the conventions of the post-apocalyptic genre. I also made him wear a gas mask to further establish the genre as gas masks are arguably the most iconic part of the post-apocalyptic genre. For the female character's outfit, all that is shown is her green knitted sweater. The green colours are conventional of the post-apocalyptic genre, however, I developed on it slightly to very subtly suggest her interest in nature. As when forming the character, I imagined her to be a very passive character who loved animals, suggesting one of the reasons the protagonist took to the dog so well. Green is a colour associated with nature and therefore links to this passion. The costume of the murderer is entirely dark colours, wearing mostly black or dark blue. Although he's not dressed up as a conventional 'survivor' per se, I wanted him to wear dark clothes to represent a source of evil, as darkness is associated with evil. Furthermore, having him not dressed as someone who looks like they're surviving off the wild is effective because it suggests that he actually survives from looting and stealing off other survivors and isn't necessarily as proper survivor because he cheats and hurts others to survive. This is why I slightly broke the convention.

Camerawork and Editing

Camera Shots and Angles

The camerawork was the area in which I swayed more from post-apocalyptic to drama films, as it was my main priority to reflect the character rather than the environment. I did incorporate long shots to depict the environment, which is common in post-apocalyptic films. However, I did not use any wider shots than this because I wanted the audience to see the character in his surrounding as opposed to just the surroundings, whereas in the post-apocalyptic genre it is more common to see extreme long shots to allow the audience to become familiar with the very unfamiliar setting.

Using a long shot was the most effective way to establish the
post-apocalyptic setting because I could use visual prompts
along with the location to allow the audience to identify
it. This is why it was more effective to break convention and
not use extreme long shots

This being said, the reason I didn't use extreme long shots is because the location alone wouldn't have been enough to establish the genre so it would have been a waste of time. Furthermore, I wanted to mainly let the audience focus on the character and his situation and emotions and let them identify the post-apocalyptic setting through visual prompts such as costume and props when paired with the overgrown backdrop. Hence, I used a long shot to balance the character and visual prompts with the setting to really create a better understanding as opposed to just allowing them to identify the post-apocalyptic environment only by location because they likely wouldn't have guessed it was post-apocalyptic solely with the setting. The shot type I used most predominantly was the mid-shot. This is because this is the most natural shot, it is how people would see people if they were engaging in conversation with them in real life. This shot is one of the most commonly used shots in generic feature films because of the fact that it is so natural and minimalistic; it's professional.

Even though this character is only shown briefly, the audience
are given a close view of her which allow them to make
that connection with her because it's the most natural perspective.
They're not too overwhelmed by how intimate/distant it is.

 Therefore, using mid-shots a lot heightens the professionalism of my film which is why I chose to use conventional shots predominantly. Furthermore, in drama films, mid-shots are common because they simulate a real life view of people. In drama films, it's important to portray realism which is why I chose to use mid shots heavily throughout my film opening. Another reason mid-shots are used a lot in drama films is because they allow the audience to connect to the character more and therefore empathise with them because of the fact that they're given a real life, natural perspective on them. It isn't warped by overwhelming them with less or more space in the frame. This, therefore, allowed me to signify to the audience which characters they were supposed to empathise with and which they weren't because they were able to see them at a level that wasn't too intimate or too distant and therefore connect with them. Hence why I chose to follow the same technique drama

Drama films typically use close-ups to portray emotion. This
close-up is called a 'choker shot' and I used it to really overwhelm
the audience with emotion because they have such an intimate view
of the character crying. 

 films use. Close-ups are used in drama films because they show the character's expression and emotion clearly, allowing the audience to empathise with them. In drama films, it is extremely important to portray emotions realistically, this is why using close-ups is effective in obviously getting across that emotion to the audience. I used this technique in the scene in which my character is crying over his loss. The audience can see his expression and tears very clearly and therefore are able to understand his emotion because of the intimate angle. In terms of camera angles, I chose to use mostly neutral angles like eye-level. This is because these are the most professional looking angles and are the most commonly used angle in generic feature films, so I decided to stick to this convention because I didn't want to warp the audience's interpretation of characters and also maintain professionalism. On the contrary, during the sequence, I did use a canted

angle. This type of angle is not very common in any feature films because of it's odd and mildly unsettling look. The reason I challenged this convention is because it's a very artistic angle and creates a striking effect. Furthermore, I wanted to reflect on the idea of disruption of peace and disruption of normality, which is the psychological effect this angle has on the audience. It reflects on the lack of order in the world and this is the reason I chose to break convention. 

Camera Movement

I didn't use an excessive amount of camera movement but kept it quite balanced between still, tripod shots and movement. This is a conventional technique used in generic feature films to maintain professionalism and seamlessness, which is why I kept to the norms. I used tracking shots predominantly. This is the most conventional camera movement to use, particularly in drama films, because it follows the character on their journey and in drama films characters are obviously the main focus. I added a slow zoom effect in post-production to one of the shots. Zooming is a conventional camera movement seen in cinema as it can help establish a dynamic between two characters or signify a subjects importance. I used this technique (a slow-pull in to be precise) to create a tense atmosphere at the beginning because the audience are forced to become close to the character which has quite an unsettling effect. Furthermore, it simulates the idea of the character crying for help because the audience are forced to look closer at him and read his facial expression, therefore reflecting on the character's broken state. In the last shot I kept the camera unstable to create a shaky effect. The reason for this is because it represents a sudden break in normality; the character has met the dog and it has turned what he knew about the world upside down. Using unstabilised shots is very uncommon in feature films because it can look quite unprofessional, however, I chose to ignore this convention. 

Editing

I kept editing very conventional, using techniques that are very commonly used in feature films such as the match-on-action effect to create seamlessness. My cut pace was very neutral, using not excessively long or short shot lengths to create a calm, neutral atmosphere, which is very conventional in feature films, particularly dramas. The editing in dramas is not something that is really taken note of because it is so neutral, and I chose to conform to this convention. On the contrary, in post-apocalyptic films, the editing is often quite fast paced as post-apocalyptic films are usually full of action. This being said, at the beginning of post-apocalyptic films, the editing is quite slow or neutral to show how there isn't much going on in the protagonist's life because the world is so desolate. This is why I followed this technique. 

Credits

The font and style of my credits are very neutral; the font is plain and white. This is quite uncommon for a post-apocalyptic film as credits are often in a distressed font that corresponds with the theme of destruction common in post-apocalyptic films. The reason I chose to use neutral fonts is because it looks professional as conventional post-apocalyptic fonts can look quite overbearing and tacky. It is quite uncommon to see fonts large and in the centre of the screen as often this can distract away from the footage. The reason I broke this convention is because it creates a nice, professional effect and also allows the audience to read them as they're clear. 

Narrative

In most feature films, it is very common for the character to be introduced at the beginning. I chose to follow this convention. However, the narrative structure of drama films often aim to show a journey of the character's emotions, generally showing their lowest point during the climax. I challenged this convention by introducing the character as a broken man and at his lowest point at the beginning. From the first moment the audience meets him they know he's depressed just by his body language etc. Then later in the sequence, he shows his desire to end his life. This is unusual at the beginning of a drama film as the emotion is often later established when the characters have at least begun their journey. I also wanted to create a mini-story in itself at the beginning of my film - a grieving man, broken and depressed, meets a dog and it changes his life around. I believe this mini story foreshadows the rest of the film as it will shot the dog helping the man deal with his grief. This is shown when the man doesn't kill himself because of the dog, showing how he's willing to let go with the dog's assistance. Creating a mini-story at the beginning of a film is very uncommon as most films only use the opening to create an exposition and perhaps reveal some of the plot. I challenged this convention because I believed that I could form an exposition through this tiny story that foreshadows the film as it will engage the audience more than a slow start and I thought in itself it was quite an artistic way to begin a film. 

Themes 

I dealt with themes very conventional of a drama film: grief being the main one. Although the themes of violence and death associated with post-apocalyptic films were present, I wanted to mainly focus on the themes addressed in drama films as the emotions would have been invoked by a dramatic theme common in dramas. 

Sound

Sound Effects

Throughout the opening, I picked and chose where I wanted to incorporate sound effects, which is quite unconventional as often if there are sound effects involved it's either of everything onscreen or nothing at all. I incorporated the noise of fabrics rustling to emphasise the theme of loneliness as there was quite an element of isolation to the lone noise of what the character is doing and nothing else. I then muted any other sound effects eg. footsteps etc. except the sound of the character breathing through the gas-mask. This is quite an uncommon technique but I chose to use it because it creates an artistic effect and also emphasises the idea of loneliness as the audience are even able to hear the sound of a character breathing because of the lack of life in the world. 

Music

The music I used was very conventional of the drama genre because it's very emotive and played on a more natural sounding instrument eg. piano and strings. The music heightens the emotion of the scene and rises and falls in the right places to suit what's happening on screen, which is a really conventional technique. This being said, emotional music in a post-apocalyptic film is quite uncommon because the music is often more mechanical sounding which is used to unsettle the audience and create tension and the idea of desolation. 

Narration

 Narration is really common in both drama and post-apocalyptic films because it's a way of telling the audience how they're feeling. This is especially common in post-apocalyptic films because the characters are usually isolated and have nobody else to share their thoughts with, so in order to make sure the audience understands narration is commonly used. I used narration for these same purposes. 

Character

My character is very typical of someone in a drama; they're able to convey their emotion realistically and the realistic portrayal of emotions is one of the most important aspects of drama films. He's realistic because he behaves like a human being and isn't presented as some tough, unbelievable/unrelatable character commonly seen in other feature film genres, which is why he's appropriate for a drama film. He's also a conventional character because he's an adult male which is the most common sex/age of a film protagonist to be in Hollywood cinema. His age is suggested through both his physicality as well as the low and masculine sound of his voice. Although he's more emotional than the stereotypical male character in cinema, his masculinity and age is conventional.

Incorporating a female in the role of a victim is very commonly seen in cinema, I followed this convention because it makes the murderer look more bloodthirsty because they're preying on someone who would typically be deemed defenseless in our society. Furthermore, the fact that the murderer is a male is conventional because men are often depicted as brutal and violent in films - it's not common to have a female antagonist because it goes against this image of women being empathetic, nurturing and gentle that society has created.

I broke convention, however, by using a dog as one of the main characters. This isn't often seen in cinema because it's quite hard to control dogs etc. I broke convention because the simplicity of a dog representing hope works best and it makes my film opening more moving. 

Overall, it's clear to see that I have adopted many conventions set by both generic feature films as well as my chosen genres. I have, however, picked and chosen each convention to follow as well as challenged many others to really create an original and powerful piece. 

Plan:
This is the plan I created to work from: