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

Challenges

A large challenge in creating a short film, poster and magazine article containing all the relevant codes and conventions was the technology used. 

When creating my short film it was difficult to include conventions such as fade in or out transitions from shot to shot which I may have liked to have included and the beginning and ending of the film. This was due to the lack of available resources on Adobe Elements, although this software enabled me to edit the scenes to black and white and add the soundtrack I wanted, I feel it could have been far more resourceful in helping me contain all the conventions I wanted. My last shot of the film takes an earlier scene and is put in reverse, I had to do this on Imovie because Adobe didn't offer this.  

I created my film poster with the use of Microsoft word, although this software is not suited specifically to the creation of professional posters it was helpful in letting me experiment with new ideas. However, it did restrict me in editing purposes for the images or text I needed, for these I needed to go elsewhere to specific websites such as Fontspace and Befunky. This was a challenge in that it delayed my creative process and added unnecessary time looking for fonts and edit software that could have all been offered in one place.
I used Microsoft Publisher for the completion of my magazine article which was more suitable in the creative process of making a professional product but again lacked in resources for conventions of a real product.         

How my shots use forms and conventions of real media products

1. High angle medium shot: overlooking front of bath, taps, plug and plug hole. This shot overlooks the character place the plug in the plug hole and turn on the tap. This is a medium shot as it views the main areas of the bath I wish to focus on and as Lucy comes into shot, the back of her head, shoulders, hand and arms are visible. This birds eye shot was inspired by my conventions displayed by the 'What Lies Beneath' bath scene, as the victim is followed by a birds eye tracking shot. Although the shot is short and sudden it is enough to impact what the character is doing and will later in the story become evident as to why she does this. The slightly prolonged ending of the shot is done purposefully so the sound of the running water can echo, then come to an abrupt end as it jumps to the next shot and next sound. This is to show distortion in the order of time, showing things are out of sorts and abnormal. Although, my hands do shake slightly while holding the camera so I would have preferred a shot that is still, central and symmetrical. To do this I believe I would have needed professional equipment to attach the camera to the wall or ceiling.     

2. Low angle close up: slightly tilted over the bath to be of similar level with the water. This is a close up of the water surface as water gushes into the bath, it is clear the story has jumped in time slightly the bath is now about half way filled. It is common in music and film for the sound of water to be connected with calm and tranquillity, however here the sound of the water is fast with quite a harsh sound, implying the opposite of waters usual connotation. 

During this shot the camera jumps in and out of focus, although this was unplanned I find it to fit in perfectly with the film, it shows imperfection and distortion, I feel that if all shots were still and perfect it would defeat the point of the storyline and its mood. 

You can see here the focus jump from the handle of the bath back to the running water. The handle on the side of the bath could signify, weakness, instability and aid. These qualities all fit with the emotions of the character perfectly as she has become weak, unstable and has nothing or no one to aid her at this point in her life. The cameras focus here may help to visually suggest this to the audience. 

3. Close up: slightly angled the look down at the character as she sits on her bed entranced and upset. One of the most common uses on a high angle shot within films is to help make the character appear inferior or intimidated, this is the perfect opportunity in this case as the character feels completely inferior, worthless and alone. Here she is heavily breathing which is clear from the body movements and sounds, this helps to create a tense atmosphere as the audience can see she is startled and uncomfortable. Her expression is slightly frowned as if scared and confused.                              
This is what I wanted from this particular section as I was aiming for a jump cut from one of the quieter shots, (perhaps of her walking or in the bathroom) to a sense of panic or tension. Although both shots will be relatively quiet the whole atmosphere of the two shots will create great contrast and disarray.  

4. Extreme close up: on the characters side profile. This will be played straight after shot 3 so that the camera can lock on to her completely enclosing her which will give a tightly spaced, claustrophobic feeling, this can show that her mind and emotions are trapping her from being normal or have interaction with the rest of the world. The style of shot is unique as it helps to highlight and emphasise her deep rapid breathing, which will show the audience her anxiety, stress and trauma. Her body language will also suggest this as her eyes are wide open and fixated as if in a trance. Her head is up straight looking forward showing she is alert and in a panic, as if things are building up on her and feels overwhelmed. This could be seen as a panic attack which is a common part played in the lives of those who suffer from anxiety or stress.    

5. Long shot: I was very satisfied with this shot and found that everything within it was beautifully lit and well placed. The sun is low in the sky as it is early in the morning, because this represents the beginning of a day I feel this is an appropriate shot for the beginning of my film. Although it is very bright on the camera it does not overpower the shot and fits nicely. The blue and green of the sky and grass are very scenic and tranquil. I hope with further editing this will be the shot where the title of the film will be viewed, by fading it into the screen placed centre of shot round where the ground and sky meet. Overall, I felt this particular shot was of professional standards due to its crystal clear graphics and lighting.   

6. On the first attempt to film this scene I moved the camera round from the beginning shot to the ending shot far too quickly. When watching it back it looked rushed, messy and my hands shook too much. Because of the beauty of this shot I realised it would be better to slow down and spend more time on focused on that scenery, this would have needed a dolly shot to reach a professional convention. Within the first two shots of viewing the character only the back of her is viewed. This will spark intrigue and mystery for the audience as they will want to know the identity of the character, as it is clear she has importance within the film. By showing only the back of her will also show how she is secluded and withdrawn from society and normal living, her body language of head being down and hood up hands in pockets will also give off this.  

7.  This shot is a long shot viewing the characters feet walk past the camera as the camera rests on the ground for a still shot.

I was very pleased with the mise en scene of the shot, it is crystal clear and beautifully reflects the frost on the ground which again indicates the beginning of a new day. But is also extremely effective for pathetic fallacy, (commonly used within the industry) as the cold frosted weather goes hand in hand with the emotion, mood and mind set of the character. Frost can connotate all things negative in the case of the storyline it can connotate the barren, lonely and chilling emotions felt by the character due to her depression, isolation and bad luck.

This also creates a contrast from the sunshine and clear bright blue sky to the complete opposite of cold ice and frost on the ground. This contrast can connect with how the character views the world (frosty and cold) compared to what it really is, the world she used to know and is now isolated from.   

8. Over the shoulder shot: This is a high angle overlooking the characters phone which gives the effect of being put in the characters shoes and having full knowledge of the actions. The hight of the shot was important in creating the feel of intimidation and power over what is happening and because this is within the first moments of the film it can establish the roles of dominance and inferiority. Although an over the shoulder shot can be used as the eyes of the character and a source of their perspective, it can also effectively create a perception of vulnerability and weakness towards a character.

It was important to have the phone in centre shot to emphasis the fact she is in control of starting the soundtrack throughout the film which reflects her mood and tells the story of her inner thoughts. After Lucy presses play on her phone the soundtrack will kick in and jump cut to the next scene. The start of the song can also emphasise where the story truly begins to be told by alerting the audience they will now be locked onto the film via visual and sound aid.    

Bathroom Scenes

Throughout my research I developed an understanding of the generic conventions within real film products and related my knowledge to codes and conventions in my specific genre relating to the finished outcome I wanted. My bathroom scenes were aimed to be the most effective and centred as the pride of the story putting across hard hitting emotive messages through the use of sound, camera shots/angles and mise en scene. I was largely influenced by psychological thriller films and What Lies Beneath influenced me specifically in its climactic, thrilling and effortlessly filmed bathroom scene. Without watching this repeatedly on YouTube I could not have been creatively inspired to create my storyline and put it into practise.
The bathroom inspiration later lead to my research and interest in the use of different angles of perspective as a common code used in thriller or horror films, most commonly with the use of a mirror. Although, because I was inspired by a professional film to integrate this into my story, the use of high standard equipment has held me back in creating industry-standard material.
I was pleased with the outcome of my over the shoulder medium shot as the positioning and lighting is exactly what I had envisioned. However, because I was holding the camera and moved to the side slightly during the shot it looks less professional and did not flow how a real industry film may do with tracking equipment. Furthermore, even though the bottles on top of the mirror are common place in a bathroom I should have removed them to allow for the entire mise en scene to fit within the standard I want my film and for everything within shot to set the right atmosphere.