Evaluation Question 1 - Vicky

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


Our media product shows usage of many typical conventions present in our chosen genre, as well as using more atypical aspects and challenging some stereotypes. Here I am exploring the ways in which we done this with examples from existing products and our own.

TITLES

One way we have challenged convention is with the title of our film. The majority of other products in our genre choose film titles that make it incredibly blatant to what the film is about, for example 'Zombieland' and 'Dawn Of The Dead'. These titles actually included a word directly associated with the zombies seen in the film, making it incredibly transparent, and ours is different in this respect. The title 'Genesis' links with our narrative without revealing a massive part of the film's plot. By being unconventional in this way, it should tell people that this is not your typical zombie film, and although it does include a fair amount of gore and violence, it is more reliant on narrative and good directing than your average zombie film. The name 'Genesis' and it's associations gives a sense of complexity and mystery, which we hope conveys our above intentions, and I think it works well in its purpose of drawing in a wider audience those who would like to see stronger plots in this genre, as well as the usual zombie fans.

LOCATION

The use of location in our product is much more typical of zombie films, and we have drawn inspiration from a number of different existing media products. After background research we decided that it would be good to use both indoor and outdoor locations for a number of reasons. Firstly we felt it would add variety and dimension to our product, seeing different locations and environments adds a sense of interest, and we can use the different settings to create different atmospheres. For example; by using a derelict building we can add a sense of claustrophobia which heightens tension in the audience and conveys the feeling of helplessness and entrapment. As well as this, the derelict surroundings fit in well with a generally dark and unpleasant narrative and overall feel of the film. An example of where similar locations have been used is in 'Resident Evil 2' where the film is set in 'Racoon city', a city that has become dark, dingy and run down due to the infection – much like our bulding.

We also decided to use a the green screen room available to us in college in order to create a news room backdrop and setting. By doing this we helped to achieve a more believable news report which would help add a sense of realism, and it turn, fear. This allowed us to include a news report scene as seen in films such as 'I am Legend'.

We also shot some of the chase scene outside. We decided to use some outside locations aswell as indoor not only to add a sense of variety and intrest, but also to convey the fact that the infection has not been contained, it is out in the open. This, along with the news scene, should help inform the audience of the magnitude of the infection, it is spreading all over the country, and it is doing so fast. We took inspiration from the film 'Zombieland' which uses a variety of locations in the opening scene for the very same purpose.

COSTUME AND PROPS

The costume and props used in our film follow the conventions of most zombie films. The zombie's attire and appearance are almost identical to that of those in other films. This is because in most narratives it's ordinary citiezens who have been infected, therefore most are dressed in casual clothing, with the addition of a few zombie-like features. We used fake blood, white out contacts and rippled clothes to achieve this look. We tried hard to make it as close to existing products for the reason that when doing market research, people told us one of the things they think it most important is zombie film is realistic costume and makeup, so we put a lot of effort into emulating this.

Our main character, Sadie, appears in feminine clothing, much like 'Alice' in 'Resident evil'. This character is seen dressed similarly femininely in a dress, although it is much more revealing due to her sex appeal being a main draw for audience. Again, Sadie's costume is quite casual because it's everyday citezens whom are under attack.

When exploring the use of props we looked to existing zombie films for ideas on things such a weaponry. From this we found that bloody melee weapons have become somewhat of an icon in these films, and this helped us to decided the weapon our main character would be using. We chose a bloody cricket bat for this reason, as if it's just an everyday object the victim has quickly grabbed to defend themselves. The same weapon is seen modelled by Simon Pegg in 'Sean of The Dead'.

CAMERA WORK AND EDITING

We have used a variety of different shots and editing in order to create different atmospheres, paces, and emotions in the audience throughout the opening sequence. In our chase scene we have used lots of short, sharp, shots and cut them by editing in titles. We have done this to create a fast cut sequence, which is used to create a feel of adrenaline in the audience, and also puts them on edge and feeling somewhat frantic. This helps them to put them in the same mind frame as the on screen character and empathise with the fear they are feeling which I feel is very effective. This can be seen in a number of zombie films, for example in chase scenes in '28 Weeks Later', or in the opening titles of 'Dawn of The Dead'.

We have also tried to include some interesting camera shots to add variety and convey meaning. An example of this would be where we use a high angle shot of Sadie against the door. This is typically used to make a character seem small and helpless, and our use of it here is no exception. I really wanted to show how in danger she was, and I feel that this camera angle, along with whimpers and terrified facial expressions acted out, have done this well. We also used close ups throughout the chase scene in order to try and add a sense of mystery, by not showing the whole picture and leaving the audience slightly in the dark, it helps to create more panic as people don't like not knowing what the full extent of something is I feel that by trying to use a variety of different shots, and not just sticking to long shots and medium shots as seen in films such as 'Day of The Dead', we are going against convention. As our film is low budget, we are more reliant on artistic use of equipment than big budget existing products, and this is our reason for exploring different ways of shooting.

TITLE FONT AND STYLE

We took inspiration for our title font from the existing product 'Dawn of The Dead'. We liked the blood effect used in the title sequence and wanted to find a way to make ours similar. We felt that the use of this font was effective for a number of reasons. The typography we used is coloured a dark red, parallel to that of blood. As well as the obvious denotation that this is what a zombie horror contains, it also suggests that darker themes of horror and death that are portrayed throughout the film. Although I feel that our titles are reasonably good, I don't think they are as effective as the ones we aspired to emulated in 'Dawn of The Dead'. Due to our limited knowledge and lack of time, we were unable to animate the titles so that blood would be dripping from theme like we had wished. Instead we tried to add more movement by using the earthquake tool on final cut pro and also overlayed sound effects such as zombie roars for more interest. Just as is seen in 'Dawn Of The Dead', we cut to a black background for each title. This was not just to give focus to the titles, but also to help cut up the clips and give the opening more of a frantic, fast cut feel.

STORY

Unlike most zombie films, we have tried to add more of a narrative to ours. Most other products in this genre have a very straightforward plot; there is an infection of some sort and the film follows a group of survivors as they struggle to pull through. During research we found the only difference between these films were small details in how the virus came about and where it was set. This is seen in many films, eg. In zombieland it was gone off food, and in resident evil it was a virus purposely set loose by a scientist. Although we did use this as a basis to our idea, we have adapted it to try and make it more interesting and bring something new to the market. Through the film we have a sub plot revolving around a anti-humanist trying to create a new breed of people to inhabit the earth, and we will refer to this quite regularly, exploring the background and ideas behind his idealism more so than other zombie films. I feel by doing this we will successfully bring in a new audience, and that this story line will set us apart from other products in this genre. We have set this up in the opening by including a scene where the creator of the strain interrupts a news broadcast and explains his intentions, which is then followed by a chase scene of a survivor, presenting the idea that the film will progress into following a group of people desperately doing what they can to find solace from what is happening.

GENRE

Our product sticks to most conventions seen in other similar products, and conveys genre through mise en scene, costume, editing, and plot as well as a number of other things.

One way we have done this is through image. The opening begins with a news report detailing the infection, which has been done in films such as 'I am Legend', and is both a common and effective way to introduce genre and narrative. Simply through dialogue and a scrolling news bulletin, it soon becomes clear as to what genre the film is. By introducing themes such as violence and death, it tells the audience that it is going to fit into the horror genre, although at this point it is not necessarily clear as to what sub-genre they are going to experience. A few minutes later, the audience are plunged into a chase scene. Here they are visually able to see the effect of the infection, and the use of fast cut editing between these images helps to make the audience frantic and suggests the action and faced pace of a conventional zombie horror. Such editing and imagery is seen in the opening titles of 'Dawn of The Dead', and it is instantly clear from this what the genre is.

The lighting used in both the chase scene and speech from the villain also help to give an idea of genre. We used dark lighting in the actual filming, and also used tools on final cut pro to change brightness and colouration to give further effect. The use of dark lighting connotes darker themes such as horror and fear, which again narrows down which genre it could be. Similar lighting is used in existing products, a good example of which is 'Resident evil 2', which is filmed almost entirely in the dark.

One of the main ways in which we have tried to convey genre is through the use of costume and props. We made fake blood and applied it to our actors to create the effect of wounds, and also applied it around their mouths to show they have been feasting on flesh. In addition to this, we also purchased white out contacts to give our actors an inhuman quality. We also splattered blood across props such as our cricket bat, this showed the use of it and suggested that the film would contain sufficient amounts of action and violence that is expected in this genre. All this created the iconography of what is seen as your stereotypical zombie, and as soon as this was shown on screen, it became very clear as to what the genre was – zombie horror.

We also used time in post production to help show genre. A good example of this is the titles themselves. We tried to convey genre through things such as typography and also the movement of the titles. We used a deep red font, parallel to that of blood, which also had a similar shape and texture to it – shiny and running. Not only is this a substance seen throughout zombie films, but it also connotes darker themes and red itself is often used to portray danger. Which, again, shows the audience the genre. We used an earthquake effect to make the writing shake, this suggests the situation is somewhat manic, and is also metaphoric for how disjointed and rumbled society has become, which is common for the zombie genre.

CHARACTER

Our use of character both challenged and followed convention. The gender of our main protagonist is a deviation from the norm. In most zombie films you can expect to see a male as the group leader, most women are often given the role of love interest, playing a vulnerable character that is dependant of the men for help. This can be seen in films such as 'Sean of The Dead', where Sean tries to lead the group to safety, and save his girlfriend Liz. Although in our film our female character is still vulnerable, she has fought her way this far, challenging the stereotype of the weak woman. This is comparable to the main character 'Alice', in resident evil.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Due to the budget we had for our film, access to special effects was somewhat low. We were more heavily reliant on clever use of camera shots and editing in order to focus on what we were able to do well, rather than the entirety of what was happening, therefore being atypical to most films. By using this technique, we were able to put more focus on what we did well – makeup. We used home-made fake blood, ripped up clothing, and white out contacts to create the effect of a zombie appearance, which turned out well. Our close ups enabled us to really show this off, and by putting more emphasis on realism, we were able to use this alternative to creating cgi zombies effectively.

Despite a lack of money, we were still able to use some more specialist equipment to edit our filming. An example of this is our use of green screen. We filmed our news report infront of one, and then used chroma key on final cut pro in order to insert an appropriate background. As well as using chroma key, we also used a number of other features available on final cut pro. We managed to change the brightness, contrast, and colouration of some parts to make it darker and more atmospheric. We also created a news company ident to add a sense of professionalism and make it more realistic. This was achieved using photoshop, soundtrack pro, importing our documents onto final cut pro and using the motion tools to tie it all together.

I believe that our minimal use of special effects would be comparable to films such as 'Sean of The Dead', rather than big budget hollywood productions such as 'Resident Evil'. This is because the latter relies quite heavily on special effects such as cgi to create spectacle and add drama, whether as the former uses the role of narrative and the power of costume to bring their ideas to life, which is much more in line with what we achieved with our resources.