This document discusses how the media product uses and challenges conventions of real media products. It summarizes the characters - Cindy, the main protagonist who goes through hardship but finds love, Chris the love interest, Ella the mean stepsister, and Fairy G who helps Cindy. It discusses how settings, narratives, and genres both follow and challenge conventions - using a modern household setting but sepia tones, including music but no dialogue, and using a chick flick genre but adding fantasy elements.
1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT, USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
2. CHARACTERS CINDY the main character In the short story, taking on the role of the classic damsel ‘Cinderella’ who the audience feel sorry for and grow to love her throughout the story, watching her suffer a harsh upbringing and having her dreams come true. CHRIS he plays a shorter role in the film but also a major part in the plot, being the classic fairytale ‘hunk’ character who steals cindys heart. ELLA ella is the evil stepsister character of cindy, bossing her about and ruining cindys life meaning she isn’t the most liked within the story with her nasty and bossy ways. FAIRY G fairy g is the smallest role in the story but also the initial hero within it, making cindys dream come true and making her the loveable character.
3. CHARACTERS CONVENTIONS USED We shown Cindy in the conventional way of a young woman, blonde hair, dressing femininely e.g. dresses, pink outfits etc. We also shown the Prince Charming character as a young man drinking Stella, a typical masculine drink in today's world, also wearing typical clothes for a boy to wear. We also shown how the characters were physically attracted to each other. Also, the ugly stepsister was similar to conventions used as she was a typical lazy teenager with a bad attitude wearing normal feminine clothes that would be seen in a chick flick, so mainly our characters fitted the general conventions. CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED We shown the Prince Charming character as a not very masculine young man which challenges the conventions that he should be manly, confident etc. We also challenged the idea of the Fairy Godmother as we portrayed her as a young woman instead of the typical helpful older woman. lady, which goes against the normal convention.
4. The two characters showing binary opposites, in a similar yet different environment. It also shows how the black and white tone adds the essence of dullness to the film.
5. SETTING CONVENTIONS USED We followed the typical Cinderella story line by doing it in a household where the main focus point of the family is as the stepsister and Cindy live there together. It was just a normal household as it has been portrayed like in other Cinderella style films. We filmed most of the scenes in the binary opposite characters of Cindy and the stepsisters bedrooms to show their roles clearly, we also focused on Cindy's tasks that she had to fulfill so we shown them all around the house to gain full understanding of the plot/storyline. The only major theme change was when it turned to the party scene to show how Cindy had finally found happiness. CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED Despite us following the main storyline in the same household we challenged the conventions by using a modernistic normal household so that the story of the modern day Cinderella fit in with the setting to make it look more natural and to go alongside with the plot, character styles etc.
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7. NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS USED In our short film we included two styles of narrative which was just plain music and we had scenes which had writing in them so that the audience then understood what was going on, so the story could progress as the audience knew what was happening. We shown the scenes in a sepia old tone throughout the first half of it to show how Cindy wasn’t happy with the way her life was at the moment, and then we changed the colour schemes when the Fairy Godmother appears to show Cindy’s finally got what she wants, which co-operated with the plot. CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED In our short film, we challenged the conventions of the short film way by not adding any voiceover and dialogue within it which isn’t normally used within a short film. We only decided to show the audience how the characters felt by their moods but also the colour of the scenes which indicated how they were feeling at that present time. We also challenged the narrative by using the theme of a modern day Cinderella but playing with the idea and using a sepia tone to make it look old fashioned even though it’s a modern day idea/ storyline.
9. GENRE CONVENTIONS USED We did the genre of a typical chick flick, as a modern day fairytale so we basically stuck with the general conventions used in a chick flick e.g. (girl meets boy storyline, sympathy for the main character, the mean girl getting her comeuppance etc). CONVENTIONS CHALLENGED We challenged the conventions by adding a more fantasy-magical twist on the film, by adding the Fairy Godmother character having real magic and helping Cindy go to the party. We shown all of the film in the chick flick natural way but included the magic that was in your face and hard to miss, showing how we challenged the conventions.