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

+Narrative Style

When we first started work on the film we studied a lot about narrative style and understood that crime dramas had to have really easy storylines to follow so therefore the audience could become engrossed within the films. One example we looked at was the film “The Da Vinci Code” as it had the generic conventions of crime films related to narrative style and the simple storyline of a man being framed for murder and it was up to the protagonist to find out who was the killer and to clear his innocence. As a result of this, we decided to follow this type of of storyline as we discovered that it was a very popular storyline to follow and as a result of this we decided to follow this storyline as we felt like it would be ideal and we would be able to play homage to storylines such as “The Da Vinci Code”.

+Where about does it look like your Genre? In the film there are multiple points when the film fits the genre. For

instance when we first started we understood fully that iconography such as drugs and lawyer suits can clearly show the genre of crime drama and what feelings the audience should feel. We used this to give an understanding for the audience about what the genre was and also to be able to define who each of the character are as well as what the genre was. For instance when we started creating the character of Martin Crow we wanted to show the power of men which is clearly seen within crime dramas like “The Usual Suspects” and “The Da Vinci Code”. As well as this, the use of the drugs which are normally shown at high angles throughout crime dramas can indicate the idea of danger and a sense of foreboding for the film. As well as this we also used the idea of short takes within the first ten seconds of the film to give the speed of how fast the storyline is and also how quick is at. The use of this helped make the story seem more intense than it is and also for the audience to understand what to anticipate within the film.

+How did you achieve the task of continuity editing When we went into researching we found a lot about the use of continuity editing within crime dramas. For

instance, when researching we understood that there was the use of short takes to give a sense of fast paced action within films like “The Da Vinci Code” and “Taken” to make the audience feel as if they are part of the action. We tried to effectively show this by the use of short takes and multiple cuts to give the idea as if the audience was part of the action and to also give the idea of how quick the action will come. As well, we also wanted the audience to give the idea of perspectives for both characters to understand the situation and who the audience should give sympathy to. As well as this we also had the use of Shot-Reverse-Shot, Match on Action and the 180O Line which we found from films such as “Goodfellas” and also from our preliminary exercise. The use of them made sure that the suspension of disbelief and a sense of realism for the audience to watch within the film and that the audience couldn’t see anything different within any of the shots. We specifically tried to show this in these shots:

We decided to have the use of shot-reverse-shots to give the our idea to build tension on the two characters and sense of understanding for the audience.

We decide to have the use of match on action to give the idea of the pace of the film. However, there is a bit of non continuity editing in which Olivia’s glasses magically reappear after the previous shot. If I was to improve on it then we would’ve been more observant and made sure that Olivia would’ve either wore them in previous shots or not wear them at all within the film at all.

+What sounds make it look like a crime drama?

In the film there were some sounds that we used within to make sure the film fitted the genre we were making. For instance, in film we have the use of a gun shot when Olivia places the drugs on the table we have the use of the camera in focus on a high angle. The use of the cut for the sound suggests the idea that it is a metaphorical shot through the protagonist’s heart and therefore she is in shock. We had the use of this to shock the audience and make them feel as scared as our protagonist would feel. As well as this, throughout the whole film, we have the use of a movie loop and ambient sound when Martin Crow and Roxanne talk to each other for the audience to understand the genre and also to give a sense of foreboding on what to expect later within the film.

+What iconography did you use?

When creating the film we decided to choose various pieces of iconography within the film. For example, when studying the genre we understood that movies such as “Pulp Fiction” and “The Usual Suspects” used the iconography of drugs to hint the idea of danger and that nothing is safe. As well as this we understood that the iconography of shades and full suits were used to hint the idea that their lives are secret and not well known. However, when creating the character of Martin Crow we decided to subvert the stereotype as in the story he says that he is a lawyer. This means that normally the lawyer isn’t the antagonist within the film and therefore they will always be on the protagonists side. However, as a group we decided that the lawyer would be the antagonist who would frame Roxanne for the illegal drug deal as it would as a shock to the audience and therefore we wanted the audience not to be prepared for the antagonists arrival. Movies that we took inspiration from to give the shock and subverting the stereotype were “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Usual Suspects” to give the shock element to the film to signify an act of betrayal to make the audience perception of that person to change.

+How does the typography signify the genre?

The typography within the film signifies our genre as we wanted the audience to understand what the film could contain within the film. For example, when creating the title sequence we wanted it to be very plain and give some mystery behind the story and some realism. As a result of this we took inspiration from movie titles such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Godfather” to give the idea that something sinister is going to happen. As well as this, we used a wipe on the title “Jackpot” to suggest the idea of crime as if the title was behind prison bars. By doing this, the audience should be in a position to understand what the film was about and what genre the film could be.