Evaluation

What were the aims?

The aims of my production were to use the themes analysed in my textual analysis
and implement them into a sequence of 9 key frames that present a clear story to the
audience, my production will feature part of a war film in the drama genre that
focuses on representing the counter-type to a British soldier in modern society. This
idea is based on the themes analysed in Fury (2014) and Kajaki (2014) such as death,
crime and authority. I was able to show authority through the use of representation of
the characters. Crime through the narrative and binary opposite of good vs. evil and
death through mise-en-scene.

What codes and conventions identified in the textual analysis were used
in the artefact?

The textual analysis consisted of two war films that use codes and conventions to
provide the audience with saddening emotions, whether it would come across as
gloomy and depressing or through a counter-type of WWII soldiers.

The first series of codes and conventions analysed in my textual analysis was murder.
Murder and crime was best portrayed through
Fury (2014) where in one scene, the main
protagonist, SSGT Don Wardaddy Collier
shoots and murders a surrendered German
soldier during the latter stages of WWII. This
scene clearly incorporates death because the
use of the gun connotes death as it is used to kill people and the use of blood suggests
the German soldier is dead as it was pouring out of his body. This code and
convention was included in my production where Jones forcefully makes Tommy kill
the enemy soldier and is considered murder because he does it out of hate and
control. This is seen as a crime as the soldier was a prisoner of war and was not to be
hurt after being captured.

Death was clearly shown in Kajaki (2014) through the use of mise-en-scene. When
the protagonists were hit by mines during the film, there was often a large pool of
blood that connotes their life was in danger, also shown through the colour red. Death
was also portrayed by a use of high angle and worm-eye shots to suggest that the
protagonists are inferior to the audience. Furthermore, the narrative of the film also
suggests that the protagonists are in a war zone and trapped in a minefield which,
immediately connotes danger as their lives are at risk. This code and convention was
similarly highlighted in my production through the use of a worm-eye shot and blood
dripping from the enemy soldiers face, which suggests he was in danger due to the
location of being in a warzone.

Death also highlighted in Kajaki (2014) is portrayed in my production through the use
of mise-en-scene, in particular, make up. Blood and the colour red typically is used to
connote death due to the dark associations linked
with the colour such as blood, and danger that
suggests death because blood outside the body is
dangerous. Crime as seen in Fury (2014) is shown
through diegetic-dialogue. Jones shouts SHOOT
THIS MAN THAT IS AN ORDER! this line
clearly suggests crime as Jones is ordering the
killing of a surrendered soldier that is illegal in the
rules of war. Finally authority is portrayed
through the use of actors. This required me to audition and
select actors suitable for the role of Jones and
Tommy. Jones representation is dominant
compared to Tommy and treats him like a child proving
him to be inferior to Jones, which is also shown
through the use of a medium close-up shot and
diegetic dialogue. Jones shouts DONT YOU DARE MOVE AT ALL, PUT YOUR
HANDS UP! this line suggests Joness authoritative nature because he is shouting
commands at someone to do something showing that he has authority over the
specific person.

How were the planning materials used in the construction of the artefact?

During my film production, I had to carry out a number of planning exercises in order
to make it easier for myself when doing the cinematography.

The most important planning material I believe, was the

shot list. The shot list required me to create 9 shots that
would allow me to clearly show the codes and
conventions of authority, crime and death. Through my
shot list I used shots that included POV and over the
shoulder shots to show the superiority of Jones to
Tommy in an attempt to create a good vs. evil binary
opposition. Furthermore, my shot list gave me a clear
idea as to what I was doing making it easier to follow
while shooting that overall took much less time than
required and also set stage directions for the actors that
were clear to follow, enhancing the good and evil
representations.

Other planning included my script, which I viewed as

important as well. The script allows me to clearly show
the binary opposite of good vs. evil through the characters of Jones and Tommy. An
extract from my script:
 This clearly highlights the good vs. evil
binary opposition as Jones is adamant in
wanting to kill the enemy soldier, whilst
Tommy refuses showing more emotion
to Jones loud and projective voice that
makes Jones seem more authoritative
than Tommy in the film.

Finally my location was to be low-key

that would connote danger as it is dark
and at night and gives the film more of a
fear factor than if it was shot during the
day. The location was also set in a
woods like area to suggest they are clearly isolated from any civilization and add to
the fact that they are clearly at war in the middle of nowhere, this can also give way
for Jones inhumane nature as he has been isolated for a long time and is trying to
create his own amusement for himself.

How successful was the artefact in achieving the aims?

Overall, the production was very successful in achieving its aims, this is because the
film had clearly projected the idea of good vs. evil through all aspects such as
cinematography and diegetic-sound. The film was also able to use codes and
conventions from my textual analysis such as Death, Crime and authority and
implement it into the production also through the technical aspects. However, there
were some difficulties in the production such as the acting where the actors did not
show a clear enough emotion and therefore limited the representation of both
characters and the lighting could have been better to avoid any exposures of extreme
dark lighting.

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