Evaluation Question 1 by Daniel Robb

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

An opening sequence has great significance at playing the introductory role of any film produced. This establishes the tones and themes that will resonate throughout the rest of the medium and enables the audience to the element of judgement depending on whether they would enjoy the film as a whole.

Action films are usually the most successful at encapsulating the largest audiences in the box office and it was therefore considered to be the most undisputed choice of genre for our product, if we had chosen to use any other genres then it would have been less likely to engage the widest audience for our film as they may not compare to the action phenomena present amongst this contemporary era.

Cinematography of the action genre typically portrays engaging and dramatic shots to increase tension or visual aesthetic. Using the above shot as an example, it is conveyed that the protagonist is overwhelmed by a great sense of urgency possibly sprouting from an unseen threat which conforms to the genre stereotype of the inevitable threat causing an upset in the balance of control and being the catalyst for the majority of the storylines resolution. We ensured that our shot types varied, resulting in deeper immersion and providing more entertainment value for a more positive reaction from the target audience. Regarding the mise en scene, our choice of the time being at night alludes to the stereotypical conventions of crimes occurring under these time constraints more so than daylight due to the cover of darkness being a great ally and the crime action genre would mostly incorporate this element e.g Narcos. Furthermore, the lighting has therefore much greater potential to summon drama due to the strong juxtaposition between the bright illuminations and darkness aiding a significant contrast therefore leading to the conventions that occurs most predominantly in this genre.

Considering continuity, we ensured that our primary goal was to keep this intact ensuring our film provided verisimilitude and a fast paced rhythm. In order to recreate the high tempo pace, I shortened the length of many clips in post production and stitched them in a method that continued the story however alluded to urgency, this was also coupled with a fast paced non diegetic soundtrack 'Run'.

Finishing the initial scene with large typography '30 minutes earlier' helped to establish the circular narrative of our film. Personally, I believe that this generates a uniqueness in terms of narrative of our film and potentially subverts the genre slightly due to linear storylines being the overarching norm upon most films of the action genre especially our sub genre of crime. Using a black and white colour scheme along with capitalised, blocked, text was necessary to understand the importance of the message of the text and eliminate any confusion from the target audience.