Question 1

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

Titles

I have challenged the style of titles used in my genre of film which is social realist. In this genre of film there is often a plain black background used and the credits are written in a simple font such as serif, however. This is used to make it look like a decent amount of effort has gone into making the film. This has to do with the working class link social realist films generally have and the stereotype that the working class are lazy thus trying to challenge that thought. For my main titles I have used the main prop as the background reflecting on the importance of the diary in my film. Therefore, I have challenged the convention of titles that pertain to my chosen genre by using the title to create deeper meaning instead of just to present the main credits. I have followed the conventions of real films which have animations of the production and distribution company at the beginning. I chose to do this to make my opening look more professional rather than starting with no intro. I have also used the titles for the main credits, another convention.

Main title for 'Emily's Diary'     

Costumes and location

Costume designers will design costumes to define the character and reflect on their lifestyle so this is a crucial element in a film opening. I took advantage of this element of film to reflect on the character’s difficult lifestyle and to add to the gritty atmosphere that I have tried to achieve in the beginning. 

Emily's costume 

 

Firstly, I followed the convention of location shooting, often practiced. This is partially due to a low budget which British social realist films have but also filming on a real location adds to the sense of realism that most Hollywood films would only hope to achieve for their extensive use of film sets. An example of this in the British social realist genre is ‘Fish Tank’ which was shot on a real life council estate in London.

A shot from 'Fish Tank' with the council state in the background

In my opening there is a contrast of setting thus dividing defining the two sections of my film opening. The first is supposed to represent a middle classed setting showing off Emily’s past wealth, then her shown being chucked out and put into an outdoor, gritty lifestyle. I thought that a local park would be a good place to film as it is a public place and shows her lack of privacy. 

Homeless, outside, no home, no money

Ultimately, I have followed the convention of using costume and location to define the character.

 

Narrative

My film deals with similar issues that occur in other social realist films. Although it is not prominently obvious in the opening the cuts and bruises which my character possesses are actually from abusive characters thus foreshadowing her life in prostitution which is dealt with in films like ‘London to Brighton’ and ‘Lilya 4-Ever.’ Another reoccurring theme is social class which as noted prior, the different settings I have used indicate that this is going to be a topic looked at. The economic climate also plays a significant part in the story. This is particularly apparent in the opening as at the time of the opening Emily is actually homeless and surviving on an incredibly low amount of money. The fact that she is poor, like in real life, suggests that she is frowned upon by society. Furthermore, I have followed the conventions of the narrative of social realist films by dealing with reoccurring themes such as prostitution and putting them with typical character type of these films.