Evaluation Activity 1Lydia de Blangy

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

real media products?• My film ‘Beyond Closed Eyes’ does not challenge real media products as Georgia, Beth

and I have included the typical conventions that you would see in a teen drama. This includes: details of the cast and crew, the films title, an introduction to the characters, an indication of place, an indication of the historical period, information regarding the mood and tone, a signature theme tune, information about the genre, questions that the viewer finds intriguing, patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film and mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated later in the film.

• We took inspiration from other films within the same genre, especially Juno. For example the montage of the protagonist, Juno MacGuff, walking to a destination with SunnyD. We adapted this to suit our storyline and it appeared when Abby was walking to school and while the titles of the cast and crew were being displayed on screen. We replaced SunnyD with an iPod which is more appropriate for our modern audience.

• We have also used the stereotypical characteristics for all the roles in the storyline, similar to Mean Girls. For example using a protagonist such as Abby who isn't very popular in the school environment. She has a love interest, a best friend and a rivalry. This enabled us to attract a wide audience who are familiar with this setup in reality.

The Title of the Film

• The title of the film appears after the montage of Abby walking to school, and is displayed after all the other titles, enhancing its effect and highlighting its importance.

• It also gives a sense of Abby’s character as the title is not stereotypically feminine.

• We decided to call the opening sequence ‘Beyond Closed Eyes’ as our original idea of ‘Dreams Can Come True’ was giving away too much of the storyline to the audience.

• We used this convention as it is a memorable title to the audience and allows them to think imaginatively about what the film is about.

Setting/Location

• We included two main settings for the film opening, they were Abby’s house and the school.

• We did this because after viewing films that were aimed at a young audience, we became aware of the personal spaces the audience were enthralled into to have an idea of what the character is like. This allows our audience to relate to Abby and feel they have a connection with her as they have already seen her in her most vulnerable state as she is dreaming.

Costumes and Props

• The characters that are in the common room including Nancy are all dressed in stereotypical teenage attire. This includes Abby and Ella as they too wear typical clothes such as Ugg boots and hoodies. This is a realistic portrayal of the teens, allowing the audience to relate to the characters that they see.

• The common room also hosts some sofas and bits of rubbish, again using typical props of a sixth forms common room.

• We also see Ella using her mobile phone before Abby arrives at the schools entrance. We are aware of the importance of social networking sites and as Abby’s rivalry clearly says “Did you see her Facebook status last night? So lame!” indicates that the characters in the film are representing the hobbies of the average teenager, again allowing the audience to relate.

Camera Work

• The first two shots displayed are both two shots, clearly displaying the reactions of both characters involved in the shot.

• We did this to show the relationships between Abby, her best friend and her love interest. Emotions are much more powerful when you can see someone else in the shot to react to it it. Without both characters in the shot the audience can't make those connections.

• We also used a few close ups on Abby, making her the obvious protagonist as we did not focus in on any other characters emotions. This shot shows the importance of Abby’s expression, perhaps even being quite intimate as its very close to her face. We did this to allow the audience to get to know Abby.

Editing

• As mentioned before, the montage of Juno walking with SunnyD inspired us to create our own montage of Abby walking to school.

• We used a collection of 11 shots, ranging from long shots, medium shots, close ups, low shots and panning. Taking a considerable amount of time to film all these different shots, the effect that it ultimately has is undeniably contemporary and interesting for the audience after we had edited it.

• Paying special attention to continuity, this enabled us to represent Abby to our audience in an attention-grabbing way that is often used in teen dramas, for example going from a long shot to a close up.

Title Font and Style

• The title font is called ‘Optima’ which was a pre-set font on iMovie. It is modern and easy to read, perfect for our target audience.

• Considering using a font website to determine our titles style, this was tricky to embed on the film without becoming blurred, making the film look very unprofessional.

• Using a baby blue colour connotes a dream-like scenario, which hints at the storyline.

• Using plain white for the rest of the titles made the film title really stand out.

Story and how the opening sets it up

• Immediately the audience are introduced to Abby in her bedroom, and will clearly notice the picture of her love interest which she has drawn on images of love hearts. This idea of Abby being slightly infatuated with Chris is a theme throughout the film as the audience are left on a cliff-hanger when another picture of Chris falls from Abby’s pocket and he sees.

• Another way that the audience are intrigued is by Abby’s dream that she is clearly disturbed by. As the dream is from Abby’s point of view the whole way through, this enables the audience to step into her shoes and see things from her perspective. For example the relationships she has with Ella and Chris.

• Hinting to the audience at what is to come in the film but not giving too much away makes them much more interested in the storyline.

Genre and how the opening suggests it

• The genre of ‘Beyond Closed Eyes’ is a teen drama.• This is clearly presented in the opening of the film as the following conventions

are included: secondary school setting, relationships between characters are conveyed, social groups and cliques are evident and it includes stereotypical characters.

• This is typical of a teen drama, and is similar to the opening of the teen film Easy A. Olive Penderghast is similar to Abby as she is the average girl. We are introduced to Olive’s crush Todd in her high school. We realise she is in a different social group to Todd as he is very popular. Olive has a rivalry called Marianne who is out to sabotage Olive after she becomes the schools highlight of gossip.

How characters are introduced

• The stereotypical characters that are included in a teen film are the average girl (Abby), the hyper best friend (Ella), the love interest (Chris) and the rivalry (Nancy).

1. Abby is presented as an average pretty girl who the audience can relate to2. Ella is an enthusiastic best friend to Abby3. Chris is the stereotypical good looking boy who Abby has a crush on4. Nancy is the stereotypical good looking girl who dislikes Abby, and wants

to do everything to sabotage her• These characters are clearly identified in the shots above.

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Special Effects

• To create Abby’s dream, we used a warp effect on iMovie. This made all of the shots more fast-paced and distorted, including the dialogue. This could perhaps develop real media products as it shows a more modern side to editing rather than the traditional types of shots.

• When Abby takes her headphones out, we faded out the music so the audience would feel they are connected to her and they are almost experiencing her world. This is a common feature throughout teen films as iPod’s and MP3 players are a very common object within teenagers.

• Including a few fades into the next shot, this purely made the audience aware of a new scene.