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My production team and I will be producing a five-minute short film of live action in the category of the drama genre. Our film production title will be ‘Calamity’ depicting the life of a young couple, battling with one another’s idea of the perfect life. Our female protagonist, Olivia Wilson, conjures up the fantasy of settling down with her boyfriend, Kyle Lang, and having a child to call their own. Paradoxically foe Kyle, kids are not on his agenda for a happy and fulfilled life. Our film exemplifies the theme of consequence and the importance of communication having a drastic outcome on an individual. Our film will be marketed through the means of social media. This is because, the internet is a platform in which is used by a mass audience, social media being its epitome of popularity. The usage of the internet is an inexpensive use of marketing, which will allow our target audience to become aware of our film, and relate to it through the marketing process. This further opens doors for out film to be spread through word of mouth in the long run. Our target audience is 12-25, which is a young range for our film, therefore our target audience uses social media regularly, thus being able to access the information for our film. We will also post the mise en scene process and behind the scenes images onto our social media sites, to allow our audience to witness first hand the process for our film, thus being able to understand the storyline, as well as the relationship between the two protagonists. This also generates an enigma, because the audience won’t be aware of the plot twist(the terrorist attack) and who t affects, therefore they will be left with unanswered questions they would want to discover the truth of.

 

 

 

Our chosen target audience is within the age ranges of 12-25.  It is aimed at all genders in the socio economic groups of C1, C2, D and E. We have decided to use 12 s our lower quartile, because although there are some emotional themes within the plot for example terrorism and death, there are no graphic scenes, therefore it is suitable for younger viewers. As well as this, we are basing our film on the 7/7 London bombings, therefore it is a teaching mechanism for the audience and will teach them what is really going on in society, building them to have an opinion as they age. As well as this, our protagonists are teenagers, therefore they have someone to relate to. We decided to use 25 as our upper quartile, because this is about the time where people will be in relationships, therefore they would still be able to relate to the protagonists, despite their age. As well as this, pregnancy can always present conflict within any relationship, therefore older audiences could relate to the lack of communication in a relationship containing people with juxtaposing personas. Due to the fact we will be viral marketing our film on a range of social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, we will be opening our film up to a mass audience, thus getting more people wanting to watch out film. The certification of our film is 12a because although there are some emotive themes, there’s nothing that will expose our younger audiences to trauma.

 

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Using the internet as our platform of marketing is a non expensive way of getting our film known by a mass audience and is an easily accessible method, which allows audiences to witness first hand the making of the film, along with the characters and their story. This further allows us to entice many of our target audience members of all ethnicities and genders without costing an extortionate amount of money. The good thing about social media is the fact that information can be shared though networks, further exposing our film to more of our target audience, this allowing our film to get more audience members.

 

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In order to exemplify the drama genre, certain codes and conventions have to be incorporated in order to create a verisimilitude for our audience. We have exemplified a plot twist which is a convention of the drama genre [1]. In our film, we expect Kyle to find Olivia and for them to start a family and be prosperous in their future together, however, we come to find that Olivia is a victim of the 7/7 London bombings, exemplifying to the audience that Kyle must live the rest of his life in guilt. Our film, Calamity, also presents a clear journey which the characters go on, which changes them as people [1]. At the start of the film, we see submissive Olivia asking Kyle what he thinks about starting a family. She is extremely enthusiastic about the subject but is quickly shut down by dominate Kyle forcing her to leave him to find out what she truly wants. Roles then reverse and we come to find that Kyle is the one fighting for a family, when he runs to find Olivia to apologise. The journey however takes a turn for the worst when Olivia is killed in a terrorist attack, leaving Kyle to feel remorse and heavy guilt. This causes his emotions to be heightened, which is another convention f a drama[1].

 

[1] https://prezi.com/rb5k_semwcvg/drama-as-a-genre-codes-and-conventions/

 

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The female protagonist, Olivia Wilson, exemplifies both stereotypical and counter typical traits of the female gender through her change of mindset in her situation. In the flashbacks, Kyle and Olivia share, she is exemplified as submissive, through Kyle shutting down her want for children. She is depicted looking defeated though her hurt facial expression whilst Kyle exclaims she wouldn’t make a good mother. The fact that she didn’t stand her ground or defend herself, connotes her vulnerability in the relationship. Stereotypically, men are scene to dominate relationships and are the driving forces of what goes on in them, therefore, the fact that Olivia had no say in the matter emphasises her submissive position. However, when Olivia leaves Kyle and he is seen chasing her to apologise, she is represented in a more dominant light because she is controlling what is going on. We decided to show this journey of her dominance to teach the female audiences to take a stand, further allowing them to relate to her character. As well as this, having such a strong minded female character is a trait that males find attractive, therefore they will also want to watch the film.

 

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We have restrictions when it comes to our budget, therefore we cannot compete or dominate the market against companies with bigger budgets. Our film company is independent; therefore we may not appeal to mainstream audiences as well as other companies, however the fact that we have incorporated strong characters as well as a strong storyline within our film making, will still allow us to appeal to a mass audience if we market well and use social media platforms to gain attention.

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Our film is set in 2007, due to our film being based on the 7/7 London bombings, therefore the characters will wear clothing of the time to shadow this and make the audience aware that it isn’t set in the modern day. Their dress will also be casual and not to formal, in order for our socio economic grouped audiences to relate to the character’s appearances. They will have minimal makeup and will not obtain the fanciest accessories to depict them as working class teenagers, further making them relatable sources.

 

 

 

Our narrative is non- linear and mirrors Barthes enigma code which links to the conventions of a drama whereby there is a suspenseful journey leading to a plot twist [1]. We will therefore use a wide range of camera shots, for example, close- ups in more serious scenes, like Kyle witnessing Olivia’s death and Olivia’s disappointment that Kyle doesn’t want a child. This will allow the audiences to witness the strong emotions the characters are dealing with therefore, allowing the audience to be a part of their journey and relate to the characters on an emotional level. The cinematography must aid the non-linear storyline so the audience find it easier to understand and can clearly distinguish what the protagonists are thinking and how they feel.

 

 

 

We will have higher key lighting throughout the film to trick the audience into thinking that everything is as it should be and nothing bad will happen to the characters. This bright lightning connotes happiness, reinstating to the audience that there is a mutual feeling of content and normality. However, though the progression of the narrative the lighting will gradually decrease into low key lighting to foreshadow a negative event occurring and how the charters are leading up to their demise.

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There will be a non-diegetic sound of a heartbeat n certain scene to emphasise the intensity of the tasks the protagonists are carrying out and the shortage of time Kyle must find Olivia. This will ensure the audience become a part of the action and will be able to feel exactly how the characters are feelings, thus allowing them to become immersed into the experience. There will aslo be voice overs carried out by Olivia non diegetically, which will re occur as Kyle is running to find her. This creates an enigma, because the audience are unaware why Olivia isn’t responding, creating a suspenseful verisimilitude.

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By Tamia Mullaney-Downer

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Within the creation of a media product, there are certain group roles that need to be acquitted for, in order to ensure the succession of the media product, and all the demands are met in creating a sophisticated and professional final outcome. I, Tamia Mullaney-Downer, am the director of our 5 minute short film, because, I have had previous experience from AS and I feel like I am a natural leader who has a creative eye to ensure the high standards we want to obtain are met. The role of a director is crucial in determining whether the final outcome of the media product is good enough to attract consumers. Primarily, the director is “The driving creative force” and oversees making the film idea a verisimilitude, allowing the audience to become immersed into the experience. [1] Leila Monfared has taken on the role of our cinematographer, which is a crucial role in ensuring the camera shots are constantly in focus and capture relevant parts of the scene rather than empty background space. The cinematographer’s job is to capture the crucial elements of the plot and bring them to life, ensuring the conventions of being a cinematographer are followed. This means she must consider certain elements of filming for example, not breaking the 180-degree rule, using relevant equipment, for example, the use of a tripod for stationary scenes and a shoulder rig for scenes which involve movement. Primarily, Leila’s job is to maintain good quality takes, considering good lighting to create a verisimilitude, and allowing the audience to feel the character’s emotions through every angle. Although Leila has experience with using a camera in her previous production, she only filmed herself on a hand-held format, therefore she may struggle with filming professionally using other equipment. Zafir Choudhury is our editor, and is therefore in charge of piecing together our footage to create our final production. Zafir’s role is crucial in creating the verisimilitude and piecing the plot together to get our message across. He must make the footage flow without in breaks in the action to ensure a professional outcome, whilst adding sound to create our desired atmosphere for certain scenes. Zafir has experience with editing and using the software, therefore, he will have no problems with creating our outcome.

 

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We chose the genre of a drama, because we feel this the main genre which creates a journey in which the audience can be a part of. As well as this, we wanted the protagonists that went on this emotional journey to be relatable, so the audience can feel everything they are feeling when going on this journey. One of the main conventions of a drama is having a plot twist, therefore we chose to do the drama genre, because we wanted to create a shock factor for the audience so they are left in shock at hat they have witnessed and they will never forget. [2]

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The film is based on a young couple named Olivia Wilson and Kyle Lang, who although obtain a mutual feeling of love, have paradoxing ideas on what they want. Kyle is a dominate male who is independent and wants a simple relationship with no boundaries, however Olivia desperately wants to settle down and start a family with Kyle, but is in constant fear of Kyle leaving her. Olivia decides to leave Kyle and stay with her sister for a little while in order to figure out what she wants after a conversation they shared the previous day. Olivia enthusiastically plucked up the courage to ask Kyle if he wanted children with her, expressing her excitement at parenthood, however Kyle was quick to shut her down, instituting she would be a bad mother. She leaves Kyle a note saying she is leaving and then he awakens in shock after reading her note. He then finds a positive pregnancy test and figures out Olivia only asked about starting family because she was pregnant. He was devastated and set off to reach Olivia before she made it to the train station. Kyle battles with a race against time but after numerous flashbacks Olivia leaves Kyle a voice mail saying she made a mistake and that she is coming home because she loves him. Kyle reaches the station finally and listens to the voicemail. Whist listening to the voicemail he sees Olivia on the bus but is traumatised as the bus suddenly goes up into flames. His life with Olivia flashes before his eyes and stops at the pivotal moment when Olivia’s is about to ask him about having children.

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Our target audience is 12-25 in the socio economic groups of C1,C2,D and E. This is because our film contains a lot of films on current affairs which younger viewers can learn from, thus gaining an opinion. We chose 25 year olds, because they can relate to a relationship which sometimes can struggle based on starting a family. This means the audience can relate to the characters, thus increasing the appealing factors to a mass audience.

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We will be using YouTube in order to publish our film. The pro of using YouTube is the fact that it is a widely-used form of social media, therefore, our film would be watched by mass audiences due to the publics daily usage of YouTube. As well as this, YouTube is an easy platform to access, therefore it will be easier for more people to watch our film and easily access it without hassle or having to pay which is a pro for them. However, due to the fact we have a constrained budget, we cannot publish our work in mainstream cinemas for example. We will also be using other forms of social media for example, twitter and Facebook to help promote our film, to create buzz for our audience to watch our film.

 

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We wanted to tech our viewers the importance of communication within a relationship and the importance of common compromise. The fundamental basis of a relationship is compromise and respect for one another’s opinions and wants, therefore by creating a dysfunctional relationship, our audience will be able to relate to how the characters feel and the complications behind a non-communicative relationship. As well as this, we want to teach our viewers about current affairs and the ideology of not knowing hat tomorrow will bring. They should live everyday lie it is their last ad respect those around them to avid feeling the guilt and suffering the consequences Kyle did.

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Although my team and I have some experience with our chosen roles an filming, it will be difficult to create a professional piece, because our experience is limited slightly and the lack of professionality could result in our audience refraining from being immersed into the experience.

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We have a lower budget compared to other companies due to the fact we are an independent film company, therefore it will be harder for us to create a verisimilitude with the resources we have as oppose to other film companies. As well as this, having a low budget means that it would be harder to promote our film without the means of the internet and it will be harder to know whether our film is going to have the desired effect on the audience and make them empathise with our characters.

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Luckily, we have a range of equipment on offer, for example, tripods, go pros, microphones ad shoulder rigs, however, we are filming at the same time as other film companies within our class and other classes, therefore we may be limited to using certain equipment, because they may be being occupied by other members of our class. As well as this, because we all have the same time frame in which to complete filming, this will be a long term affect for the whole of our filming experience.

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Time management is a crucial factor to the filming process, because m group members as well as the cast for our movie do have other commitments, therefore we need to find times of compromise so we ca get filming done. As well as this, we all must worry about completing our A levels too, therefore we need to invest a good amount of time on studying and filming. As well as this, we need to make sure that we follow our production schedule for our production schedule to refrain from falling behind in our work. If we fall behind we would have to invest even more time that we don’t have to catch up, decreasing the professional flare of our final outcome.

 

 

 

 

The underlying message for our film is the fact that although everyone has their own personal problems, we need to be vigilant and aware of what is going on around us, because if we are not vigilant and remain ignorant, our time on earth will be cut short.

 

 

 

 

The obvious message within our film is the importance of communication within a relationship, because if you do not compromise within a relationship, both parties will never find happiness together.

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Due to the fact, we are going to do a lot of viral marketing, the success of our film will be exemplified in the statistics of the amount of followers, likes and shares we obtain within the platforms. If the posts have a lot of attention by mass audiences it is likely we are reaching our target audience well, therefore people find interest in our work. Through this we will be able to distinguish which social main network gains us the most attention, therefore knowing what to out most of our marketing on in the future.

 

[1] http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/758_director

[2] https://prezi.com/rb5k_semwcvg/drama-as-a-genre-codes-and-conventions/ 

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By Tamia Mullaney-Downer