Evaluation Activity 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge

forms and conventions of real life media products?

For our G325 unit, we were required to produce a short film of a genre of our choice. The
film was required to last approximately 5 minutes. Along with this, we also created a review,
as well a poster for our film.
When we first began the task, we brainstormed a range of genres before choosing one. We
considered what genre we would enjoy to produce, as well as how well we would be able to
produce the short film. After brainstorming, we decided to go with the drama genre. We
chose the drama genre, as it is a genre that would appeal to a large target audience,
compared to a romance genre that would only appeal to a small audience. The storyline we
chose was based on a young girl who falls for another young boy. As their relationship
progresses, another side to the boy is revealed as he domestically abuses the girl.
Codes and Conventions
 Codes are signs that have certain meanings or have a significance to the audience, in
media texts.
There are two types of codes: symbolic and technical. Symbolic codes are codes that can be
inferred and creates a deeper meaning to something. An example of a symbolic code would
be the type of score music that is used in a media text. A slow paced score music could
connote sadness – giving a deeper understanding as to how the character is feeling.
Technical codes is the way that narrative is created through the use of technology and
equipment. An example of technical code would be the type of camera shots that are used
in a media text.

 Conventions are the certain ways that something is done in a media text.
Conventions can be applied to media texts in the form of technical aspects, such as
sound.
When producing our film, we used conventions that were typical of the drama genre, as it
was what the audience expected to see. Conventions are important to media texts, as they
help the audience to understand what the genre is. When the audience recognises certain
conventions in the media text, they will be able to familiarise themselves with what the
genre is.
 Forms and Conventions of the Drama Genre:

Consists of a
Portrays realistic dramatic
situations that storyline –
the audience are often with an
able to relate to. enigma.

Contains climaxes, as well

as anti-climaxes to keep
Conventions of the
Allows audience to connect audience entertained.
Drama Genre
with characters.

Strives to emotionally
Media texts have a
move the audience.
steady rise of tension.

Location/Setting
In our production we used 3 main location. The first location we used was a park – where
the protagonist (Amirah) and the antagonist (Jesse) met. We used the park, as it is a typical
location in which two teenagers would be at – creating a sense of realism, which is a
convention of the drama genre. The park is a happy environment, creating a juxtaposition
between the train scenes that is shown later on, as bad events take place there. This is
typical of the drama genre as it creates a steady rise of tension. The second location we
used was Amirah’s house. This was quite a simple location, however we decided to use it as
it is somewhere were teenagers would typically be hanging out together. This added to the
realism and relatability of the film. The third scene we used was a train station. We chose to
use a train station, as it is not a typical location that is used. This creates a climax within the
film, as it is where the bad event will happen. It will also keep the audience’s attention, as
they will be curious as to why Amirah is at the station by herself. This is a typical convention
of the drama genre. As the cinematographer, it was my role to ensure that I was capturing
the correct shots to capture the intensity of each scene. It was important that the shots I
filmed represented what was typical of a drama genre.
Costume/Props
Costume and props were relatively important in our film – props in particular, as they
allowed us to create a verisimilitude for the audience. Whilst choosing our costume and
props, we researched other drama genre films to ensure that our film was conforming to
appropriate drama conventions. The costume was important as it helped to create a sense
of realism, due to the fact that the characters were wearing clothing that was expected of
their age group. The clothing both characters wore conventionally consisted of t-shirts,
hoodies and jeans. This helped to audience to feel as if they could relate more to the film, as
the clothing the characters were wearing were the same as the audience. In most drama
genre films, the teenagers in the films are often wearing the same clothing. The main prop
that was used in our film was a knife that was used by the protagonist while she stabbed the
antagonist. The knife conformed to typical conventions of a drama genre due to the
extremeness of the prop. The knife very large, which helped to build tension and keep the
audience on edge – which is typical convention of the drama genre. The knife prop was very
important in our film, as it was one of the main parts in the film that intensified the drama.
Without the knife, there would have not been a mystery to entice the audience. By using
the prop, we were able to create a climax within the film, which is a typical convention of
the drama genre.
Editing:
Although I wasn’t the editor in our production group, I still ensured that the editor was
editing the footage in a way that reflected our genre clearly. The main element that made it
clear that our film was the drama genre, was the fade-ins and fade-outs. The fade-in and
outs from different scenes helped to build tension within the audience and build up to the
climax, as the scenes cut between each other. This is a typical code of the drama genre as it
is a way of enticing the audience and keeping them on edge throughout the film. Using
editing, we applied certain filters to certain scenes in our film. An example of this would be
during the train scenes. As they were the most intense scenes, we applied a slightly dark
filter. This connoted signs of sadness and suggested to the audience that something was
going to happen. This was typical of a drama film, as it created tension within the audience.
Characters:
Both characters in our film were very stereotypical. The protagonist, Amirah, was
represented as very vulnerable and innocent and was the victim in the fil. The actress was
very petite and frail, so we used her as we believed it would help the audience to
sympathise with her. When the audience sympathises with a character, they are able to
form an attachment with them – which is a typical convention of a drama film. When the
audience has an attachment with a character, they become more involved when watching
the film. Due to the fact that the character Amirah was within the age group of our target
audience, the audience would’ve been more able to relate to her and what she is
experiencing. The character of Jesse was also portrayed very stereotypically. Jesse was
portrayed as very strong and dominating – he was also the antagonist. We decided to
conform to stereotypes, as it created a sense of realism. It also allowed our target audience
to relate to the characters more – helping them to form attachments.
Titles and Credits:
Before our title appears on the screen with a fade, we have the opening scene of our film to
create tension within the audience. By looking at other drama media texts, we found that
this was a typical convention of the drama genre – hence, we conformed to the convention.
The title ‘bad faith’ appears after in bold, white writing against a black background. We
chose these colours, as we believed that they represented the title well. The white
represents the word ‘faith’, as it is seen as an angelic colour. This contrasts with the black,
which represents the work ‘bad’, as it is a depressing colour. As the title was white against a
black background, the title stood out clearly for the audience to see. We decided to match
our credits with our title, as it looked more professional and was a convention of a drama
film. We didn’t use any effects on the credits, asides from having them scroll on the screen,
as we wanted them to be clear and easy for the audience to read.
Music / Voiceover:
The main non-diegetic sound we had in our film was a voiceover from the protagonist,
Amirah. Voiceovers are typical conventions of the drama genre, so we decided to use one to
make our film more dramatic. We had a voiceover throughout the whole of our film. In the
voiceover, Amirah is explaining her story following the scenes as they go along. Using a
voiceover helps the audience feel closer to the character Amirah – which is a convention of
a drama film, as it allows the audience to be moved emotionally. It also helps to build
tension within the audience, as although they are seeing what is going on, they are able to
hear Amirah’s perspective. We also decided to use score music throughout the entire
duration of the film. We chose slow paced score that was primarily composed of piano. We
chose this score as we believed that it set the mood of the film. The score music helped to
set the theme of sadness and despair throughout the film. This helped to attach the
audience, as it would’ve made them feel emotional.
Over all, I believe that our media text included enough codes and conventions that are
typical of the drama genre. We included the right amount, without including too much, as
that would’ve made our film very repetitive. Despite this, we could’ve explored with
different codes and conventions, as we typically stuck to the same codes and conventions
throughout the film.