Evaluation task 1:In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 1. EVALUATION TASK 1: Daisy Jelley In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. WHAT GENRE HAVE WE CREATED? Our opening sequence that my group has created is an Action-Thriller. I will be comparing it to: Gamer (2009) Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor Production Company: Lionsgate Saving Private Ryan (1998) Director: Steven Spielberg Production Company: Dream works, Paramount pictures Fairly Odd parents- S01 E02 Directed by: Mark Bell, Steve Marmel Production Company: Nickelodeon Call of Duty Game developed by: Infinity Ward Published by: Activision
- 3. WHAT ARE GENRE CONVENTIONS? • Genre conventions are common characteristics of a Genre. This may be within plot, character, setting, editing, camera work or other ways. A few examples of action- thriller conventions are: • Fast paced editing • Close up of peoples facial expressions • The fight between a male antagonist and male protagonist • Usually involving guns and weaponry • Violence and characters lives being in jeopardy • The action usually takes place in an outside location. • Hand held camera.
- 4. SIMILAR PRODUCTS Films: Gamer (2009) Saving Private Ryan (1998) Lawnmower man 1 and 2 Tron (1982) Tron Legacy (2010) Lets be Evil (2016) Matrix 1-3 Hacksaw Ridge (2016) TV Shows: Black Mirror-Season 3 episode 1, San Junipero episode ReBoot (1994) Fairly Odd Parents, Season 2 episode 1 From past research I know there are a number of similar products to our Thriller idea. These include: Video games: Call of Duty Franchise Battlefield Music videos: Thirty seconds to Mars- This Means War The Weeknd- False Alarm
- 5. GAMER Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor Production Company: Lionsgate $50,000,000 Plot line : how is it similar or different to ours? In a future mind-controlling, virtual online parallel reality game, death row convicts are forced to battle. Convicts must survive a certain amount of sessions in order to be set free People can either pay as user or be paid as 'actor' in a system of mind-control. Everyone in the game is in a massive battle for survival, which no-one made yet. It is similar to ours through the use of a game where you are fighting for survival, however, in this film the convicts that are inside the game who are being controlled by teenagers and other users know what is going on and what they must do to the be free, yet in Latency the characters are unaware that there is a hacker that is about to kill one of the players.
- 6. GAMER Characters: look In both Gamer and our opening sequence, the actors are characters are all of a similar age (about 18 years old) this adhering to the male stereotype that boys of that age play video games. Both products have a male antagonist and protagonist in, therefore obeying the typical action- thriller conventions. There are also close ups of these characters faces to show their emotions and proving that they are the focal point of the piece and the audience should take their side. The protagonist in both action-thrillers are of an older age, this providing the audience with the connotations that the good side may be of a disadvantage.
- 7. GAMER Characters and Design When It comes to costume, In both Gamer and our opening sequence, the people that are in the games are wearing khaki camouflage Army style costumes and are holding weapons. This going with usual game conventions and the use of the guns and weapons provide us with Action-thriller conventions. The army outfits suggest war therefore suggesting that there is a battle between antagonist and protagonist. Most action scenes in both are shot outside. One way in which we challenged the conventions of a video game is by making everything look as realistic as possible until David comes back to life with the line “the connection was bad”, and then reinforcing that is is a game again at the end of the sequence with the virtual reality head set. In Gamer on the other hand, it is immediately obvious that it is a game.
- 8. GAMER The action A lot of the action in the two products are also very similar as they’re both set within a battle. In these two photos, it shows a shot the characters throwing a grenade. This is a typical action taken when in battles therefore is a convention of an action thriller. The action includes a lot of running and looking for cover to then fight against the competition.
- 9. GAMER Editing techniques The editing techniques are also very similar in the two films. Muzzle flashes and explosions are used to make the action look realistic and more intense. I believe that may have also been made larger than the typical CGI used in action-thrillers because it is supposed to give connotations of a video game. Fast paced cutting is also used in both products to make the action look more exciting and makes the audience more interested in watching on.
- 10. GAMER Camera techniques Again, the camera techniques are quite similar; in both products the camera follows the action and is usually hand held. This being Action-thriller conventions as is connotes the difficulty and intensity of the action taking place.
- 11. GAMER Title Lastly, when looking at the titles, they are similar in a way. Although the Gamer title is slightly larger and bolder, both of the products use simple font with white lettering. In both products the writing glitches as if showing a glitch in a game- this therefore being a convention of a videogame. This glitch also adds tension and connotes something is going to go wrong.
- 12. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Director: Steven Spielberg Production Company: Dream works, Paramount pictures Budget: $70,000,000 Plot line : how is it similar or different to ours? The film opens with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, where two brothers are killed in action and earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Mrs. Ryan received all three of the death telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff finds out about a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men to find him and bring him back home to his mother... The plot line has little similarity as its an actual event and not one in a game- there is nothing to do with technology. Although this may be, there is some similarity as it is opening scene portrays the action in the war and the horrifying deaths during action. In our Latency, it shows 2 people being shot and shows an attempt to bomb a bus with the enemy in. Ours also shows the emotion the Callum’s friends feel as he falls to the ground with blood pouring out his mouth which then leads to his death, this must be a similar devastation to the friends and family of the three brothers that are killed in action.
- 13. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Characters: Behaviour, look, costume I am challenging the conventions of using a younger character that is fighting in a huge gun fire battle and Saving Private Ryan is using those of an older age. Although this may be, it gives suggestions that it is not as realistic therefore it giving connotations of a video game. Also, when looking the characters you can also see some similar facial features. Connoting that there is a certain look that people use for main characters in a war situation.
- 14. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN The action Although the plot line is different in the two products, the action is very similar. People are getting killed by gunfire and explosions which are Action-thriller conventions. One way in which we challenged the conventions is by only having a small number of actors to be fighting whereas Saving Private Ryan has hundreds and obviously a typical battle would have a very large number of people fighting against each other. This making our thriller having more conventions of a videogame as it is focusing on fewer characters.
- 15. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Camera techniques Similarly to Gamer, Saving Private Ryan also included a lot of hand help camera. Following the action, allowing the viewer to take sides and feel that the action is more interactive and involving them. Conventions of Action-thrillers is hand held camera work alongside a variety of camera angles to make the action more exciting.
- 16. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Editing techniques Our opening sequence and Saving Private Ryan have similar editing techniques used to portray the war, For example: muzzle flashes and explosion CGI (again in a similar way to in gamer). This CGI is used to make it more exciting and realistic. The weaponry is a typical convention of an action-thriller.
- 17. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN Title Latency and Saving Private Ryan both have white writing with clear font. Although Saving Private Ryan uses background video this being traditional and more realistic. The fact that Latency has a black background acts as an interruption to the action that’s just happened. To let the viewer think about what has just happened but it also connotes a glitch in a game or as if the power has blown.
- 18. FAIRLY ODD PARENTS S02 E01 Directed by: Mark Bell, Steve Marmel Production Company: Nickelodeon Plot line : how is it similar or different to ours? After playing a virtual game Timmy wishes for a game that you can't wish yourself out of. When Chester and A.J. then come unexpectedly and go into the game, Timmy realizes that they have to finish the game to leave, so he goes into the game to save his friends. Cosmo and Wanda have to make sure the power doesn't go out, or all the data in the game will be lost including Timmy and his friends. Although this is not an Action-thriller nor aimed at the same target audience and is a cartoon. There is surprisingly a lot of similarities in the plot line. The characters (who are 3 friends that are playing the game- like in Latency) are all playing the game with each other and helping one another to ensure a defeat of their opponents. In Latency Callum dies in both game and reality, however in Fairly Odd Parents it all works our and Timmy Survives.
- 19. FAIRLY ODD PARENTS Character Although Fairly Odd Parents is a cartoon children’s TV program, there is still resemblance in the characters. Both characters have brown hair in a Spikey style, blue eyes and are slightly behind their friends. Callum is late as he is “under heavy Gunfire” and Timmy is late as he enters the game after his friends.
- 20. FAIRLY ODD PARENTS Character and design Carrying on looking at characters, there are 3 companions playing the game together in both products. They work together and help each other defeat their opponents. They also get annoyed with each other when they lose a life in the game and get worried when something bad has happened the main character because they think they are losing them. In Latency, the character does die, however in Fairly Odd parents there is a happy ending as the target audience is of a young age. We also challenged conventions by making it less obvious that the action is taking place in a video through location. Fairly Odd parents on the other hand made it very clear through the animation so that the young audience would understand.
- 21. FAIRLY ODD PARENTS Both Latency and Fairly Odd Parents S01 E02 used Virtual reality headsets as the way of entering the game. It is a great way to make it clear what is a game and what is not as it is a very obvious object which is used to play games. Therefore displaying conventions of videogames. Props
- 22. CALL OF DUTY Call of Duty is a first person is a First Person shooter video game franchise. Call of Duty, Call of Duty 2 and Call of Duty 3 are all set primarily in World War II and the more recent ones are set in modern times. The Game world that we have created in Latency is based of Call of Duty so there are many similarities in the style. Game developed by: Infinity Ward Published by: Activision
- 23. CALL OF DUTY We needed to make sure that Latency had conventions of a video game and Call of Duty was the game we took inspiration from, we did this by adding muzzle flashes and using hand held camera as if a the viewer is a character. We did this to make the viewer feel more involved in the action. Editing techniques
- 24. CALL OF DUTY Like in Gamer and Latency the Call of Duty title is white and in simple font alongside a black background. A white title seems to be a reoccurring convention of The action and thriller movies that I have looked at. Title