Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product

I feel I have made a huge amount of progress since my preliminary task. In the preliminary task, I was solely focused on correctly capturing simple shots whilst maintaining basic continuity which resulted in my preliminary task being very bland and robotic.

Whereas, in my film opening I had an existing knowledge of the camera and was able to concentrate my attention fully on capturing charismatic shots which enhanced the execution of my film’s narrative as seen in the screen shot below.

In my opinion this over the shoulder medium shot is composed well as the reflected image of the female protagonist is perfectly framed by the edges of the mirror. This interesting shot denotes the female protagonist's reaction to her fiance's overly affectionate behaviour thus aiding the film's narrative in establishing the relationship between the characters.

In my initial task there was an issue regarding the steadiness of some of my shots therefore I used a tripod in my film opening to eliminate this problem. I learned that using a tripod is of fundamental importance in producing a film that has professional attributes, especially as I am visually impaired. However, the tripod did restrict some of my shots due to the limited space of the location.

The research involved in constructing my film opening was more detailed as greater care was taken to ensure it was of a professional nature. This meant that every aspect of film making was explored which provided me with a greater insight into the importance of the codes and conventions of film genres.

The codes and conventions of a film are elements that indicate a specific genre by employing typical features associated with that genre meaning it is impossible to make a film without first deciding its genre. Therefore establishing my genre gave me direction and added meaning to my product. I also learnt the importance of challenging these codes and convention in order to give my product a unique quality thus maximising my film’s appeal.

I also improved in my editing skills as my film opening is effectively paced in order to execute my narrative in the most concise manner possible.

My initial task did not include any non-diegetic sound and therefore I had not fully realised the importance of sound in further emphasising the meaning of a scene. My use of non-diegetic sound is apparent in my introduction of the protagonists which suggests the contrast between the protagonists may serve as a key dynamic in the film. In the process of making my product my knowledge of sound editing and its relevance in enhancing a particular meaning has greatly improved.

I also learned maintaining continuity is crucial in order to ensure the realism of a film. One area where continuity had to be taken into account was whilst filming retakes which involved the clock where the time had to be constantly reset in order to avoid this issues.

Overall, in my progression I have developed an appreciation for the amount of work required by film makers. I have also learned about the various stages involved in film making (research and planning, shooting the film and editing) - basically how to bring an idea to life!

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product ?

In the construction of my film opening I acquired many new skills especially in the field of editing. I learned how to edit and manipulate both sound and video to ensure my film is the most polished product that I could possibly produce.

The editing software available to us was “iMovie” which allowed me to edit my film very precisely -resulting in a tighter and more professional film. This meant that the final cut of the film only included meaningful footage therefore creating an effective pace which subsequently maintains the interest of the audience.

“iMovie” also allowed me to alter the characteristics of sound ( as seen below in the screen shot).

My Use of sound perspective allowed me to emphasise particular elements of my film in order to provoke the desired response from my audience. For example when the female protagonist’s room is introduced a loud and aggressive rock instrumental is used to establish contrast between the protagonists. This same instrumental played at a lower volume would not have the same effect. Another use of sound perspective is apparent when there is a volume increase in the alarm ringing in conjunction with a close up of the alarm clock (see screen shot below) signifying the alarm’s annoying persistence which ultimately forces the female protagonist to wake up.

The option of having multiple audio tracks was useful as it allowed me to incorporate sound effects such as a record scratch which is evident when the male protagonist’s feet touch the floor (as seen below). This device is both comedic and allows a successful transition between the two scores of the protagonists.

I also learned how to apply titles to my product using “iMovie” which further gave my film a professional look (as seen below).

During the filming of my product I became very familiar and confident in using the camera. This meant that I could give my full attention to the capturing of meaningful shots. However, I feel the Sony handycam that we were instructed to use was outdated where the image quality was poor as well as the camera microphone inducing static. On the other hand the fire wire cable compatible with this camera was very quick at uploading the footage onto the Apple Mac computer thus saving time.

My knowledge of Blogging vastly increased as I learned how to upload videos.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I addressed my audience by firstly conducting research into the codes and conventions of romantic comedies in order to gain an understanding into my audience’s expectations. I then used this new found knowledge to construct a questionnaire which examined my audience’s preferences and criticisms of the romantic comedy genre. This feedback was very insightful and greatly influenced my decisions in the overall construction of my film.

Notable examples of feedback which shaped my film include :

Question 6 : "Which one of the following openings would you prefer?"



As the graph highlights the most preferred opening was a scene that cut between the two protagonists in order to comically demonstrate their differing personalities (55%). The second most popular option was a telephone conversation between the protagonists(20%). When writing my script I combined both of these scenarios in order to maximise audience satisfaction.

Question 4: "Which one of the following do you believe is the most important element in a successful romantic comedy?"





As illustrated above 45% of the people questioned preferred the element of bad luck. I employed this element in my film opening as I agreed with this response because I felt it was the most comedic element to explore. In my film bad luck is evident when the female protagonist hurts her foot by stepping on the "Kill Bill" bluray and being late for her meeting with her potential in laws.


Question 7: "Would you prefer an atmospheric or dialogue driven opening?"



After reviewing the above graph , I decided to infuse both atmospheric (75%) with comic dialogue (25%) in order to enhance the appeal of my film opening thus increasing the chances of a positive reception by the audience. The atmospheric elements are established in the score, mise en scene and lighting especially, when the protagonists are getting out of bed whereas dialogue is later used when the protagonists share a phone conversation.

Question 11 - "What feature would you most criticise about a romantic comedy?"




I strongly agree with the most selected point of criticism that predictability (70%) is a critical issue in romantic comedies. As a result, I decided to counteract this by inverting the gender roles of the protagonists in my film thus giving a new twist to what many perceive as a genre which has been explored to the point of exhaustion.

In feel my research has allowed me an insight into what the audience perceive as the perfect romantic comedy. As shown in the examples above I have responded appropriately by incorporating their feedback in my film opening thus addressing any issues they may have and ultimately creating a film which provides a refreshingly unique experience and as a result would attract a wide audience.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The results of my questionnaire prove that the demand for romantic comedies is undeniable thus illustrating the modern audiences obsession with the notion of love. As shown in the graph below, 90% of the people surveyed stated that they would watch a romantic comedy.

My film would obviously attract fans of the romantic comedy genre as well as young females. I also feel that couples of a similar age would also be interested in my film as they may be able to identify with the protagonists.

The light hearted nature of romantic comedies makes it easy viewing meaning it would appeal to a wide audience. The content of the film would not receive a higher rated certificate which further optimises the number of potential viewers.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I believe my film is suitable to be distributed by a major movie distributor such as Universal Pictures (the production and distribution arm of Universal studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal) who have previously experienced a vast amount of commercial success in distributing “Notting Hill” (1999) , Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and Love actually (2003) which were all fairly low budget and were not typically “Hollywood” in that they did not consist of an all star cast and were more realistic in their approach.

The budget to gross profit ratio in the above films is impressive therefore indicating the successful marketing strategies of Universal Pictures. This consecutive success means that there is an established audience for this hybrid genre. The dynamics of my film parallels the characteristics of the films listed above which suggests that my film would be of interest to Universal Pictures.

However, I feel my film would not be suitable for other distributors such as Columbia Pictures (owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment) or New Line Cinema (became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was subsequently merged with its larger sister studio Warner Bros. in 2008) who have previously released romantic comedies such as “Hitch” (2004) and “Valentine’s Day” (2010) respectively. These American films were big budget and typically commercial projects where risks were not taken meaning my film would likely be viewed as too risky for either Columbia Pictures or New Line Cinema.

How does your media product represent particular social groups ?

My film creates a representation of young adults in their early twenties. I deliberately chose not to name my characters in order to represent them as metaphoric symbols of this social group. In comparison to other age groups such as teenagers or the elderly, this social group is not as heavily scrutinised by the media resulting in a less stereotyped social identity.

However, one stereotypical portrayal of young adults is that they can be irresponsible. This is demonstrated in my film by the disorganised lifestyle of the female protagonist which is evident in her untidy room and her forgetting of the scheduled meeting with the in laws.

The insecurity of this collective group is illustrated in the male protagonist’s desire not to disappoint his parents as shown in the dialogue: “mum and dad don’t like to be kept waiting”. It is clear that parental approval still holds great importance as perhaps this group are not fully confident in their own judgement as they lack experience.

Another quality present in this social group is clearly their need to establish a stable relationship which is seen in my film’s premise.

My film also suggests that young adults are a diverse group of people (evident in the contrast between the two protagonists) who accept each other’s differences (as they are engaged).

This unity is further displayed in the shot below.

This unity is further displayed in the shot below.

The phone serves as a symbolic link connoting a relationship whereas the mise en scene element of the photo enforces the strength of this relationship.

The DVDs give connotations of both materialism and the desire to escape which can be used in defining the attributes associated with this social group.

The shot below also connotes the female protagonist's need to escape through its denotation of posters.

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

My romantic comedy opening uses the pre-established codes and conventions of the romantic comedy genre by employing common mise en scène elements found in this hybrid genre, such as photos of the protagonists as illustrated below in the screen shots from my film.







Romantic comedies use photos as a symbolic device in order to connote a relationship between the protagonists. They also indicate the longevity of this relationship which I have further highlighted where in one photo the female’s hair has been dyed a different thus revealing they have been together for some time.

I had initially planned to incorporate the mise en scene element of flowers in my opening shot; however I disregarded this idea as I felt that flowers may be too feminine for either of my characters. As a result, I decided to replace the flowers with a plant but ultimately dismissed the shot as it did not add any significance to the film’s opening in establishing it as a romantic comedy.

Both my original storyboard and the unused shot of the plant are located below.

My film opening sets up the film’s narrative which relies on the plot device of a couple meeting their potential in laws. This is a very typical scenario which is frequently depicted in many mainstream romantic comedies such as “Meet The Parents” (2000) and its sequel “Meet The Fockers” (2004) therefore meaning my narrative would not alienate my audience but instead provoke feelings of comfortable familiarity.

The humour in romantic comedies often stems from the conflict created by the protagonist’s contrasting personalities thus establishing juxtaposition as a fundamental element in this genre. I decided to further develop this juxtaposition by heavily applying Levi Strauss’ narrative theory of “Binary opposition” in order to intensify both the contrast and subsequent conflict which ultimately results in the humour being optimised.

The following screen shots taken from my film illustrate my use of binary opposition.


In this screen shot of the male protagonist’s bedroom he is presented as a clean, tidy and organised individual. This is symbolised through the mise en scene of meticulously organised shelves and a spotless room. The white and pale blue walls and pale blue bedding connote the male protagonist’s calm, non- confrontational and naive nature.

Contrastingly, the female protagonist is presented as unorganised which is metaphorically symbolised through the overly cluttered mise en scene which dominates the shot above. The dark colour of the mahogany wood furniture suggests that she is not as cheerful as her fiancé and perhaps has a darker side.

The screen shot above demonstrates my use of lighting in further establishing the protagonists as binary opposites. The male protagonist bedroom is brightly lit connoting his cheerfulness which is also denoted by his smile. The fact that he is looking out of a window where the blind is drawn up metaphorically reflects his open minded personality.



In comparison, the female protagonist’s room is darker in its lighting as well as being shadow infested which connotes her frustrated and pessimistic personality. The significance of the drawn blind on the window mirrors her distant and withdrawn persona which is further enforced by the fact that the female is facing away from the window.

I also used score and dialogue to highlight the differing personalities of the protagonist. A slow, relaxing and romantic instrumental was employed for the male protagonist whereas an aggressive, piercing and overwhelming rock instrumental was used for the female. I purposefully constructed the male protagonist’s dialogue to include corny sayings such as “grumpy Gus” and “see you later, alligator” in order to highlight his annoying enthusiasm. The female protagonist’s dialogue is to the point as illustrated when she answers her phone with the line: “What do you want?” -showing her frustration.

Although I believe familiarity is important in a film but I also feel it is crucial that each film explores its genre to its full potential which can only be achieved by opening your mind creatively and challenging the codes and conventions associated with that genre.

My film opening challenge’s the codes and conventions present in romantic comedies by inverting stereotypical gender expectations. This was achieved by the male being more feminine in his persona for example he is not afraid to express his emotions and therefore is very affectionate as seen (below) when he is kissing the phone.

Stereotypically men view expressing their emotions as a sign of weakness as it displays their vulnerability. He is also conscious of his appearance as demonstrated by the conventionalism of his attire for example; he is initially in a matching set of pyjamas and later dressed smartly. He is punctual and reliable which further challenges the male stereotype.

In contrast, the female protagonist remains dressed in her scruffy and non matching night clothes thus challenging the feminine stereotype. The dark quality of the lighting also gives connotations of unkempt appearance which again contradicts the view that the female character should be more feminine and thus more presentable. The expletives used by the female protagonist are vulgar and crude which defy the notion of femininity.

I deliberately chose to include the “Kill Bill : vol 1" bluray as I felt the film’s protagonist (Black Mamba) is a perfect example of gender inversion where the woman is masculine, independent and dominant mirroring the qualities of the female protagonist in my film opening.

Opposites Attract storyboard

My romantic comdey opening - Opposites Attract