lets start with establishing what a convention actually is...
A convention is a specific rule that governs how an individual writes or shoots different media texts.
Similarly codes are systems or signs that are split into technical or symbolic categories.
By researching the conventions of different media I was able to understand how real media texts target specific audiences and stick to one genre and narrative. My Short Film is called 'In Your Mind' which focuses around the importance of the mental illness, Schizophrenia.
It shows the protagonists experiencing hallucinations and hearing voices inside his head to which he becomes aware that he is suffering with a mental disorder. He seeks help from a psychologist in which he progresses to defeat the voices and lead a normal life.
When deciding to tackle a deep subject such as Schizophrenia, I thought it was vital to keep within the typical conventions of a short film. Firstly, i knew that i wanted to include a limited amount of characters in order to create the sense of intimacy and feeling trapped.
Often you may find that individuals hold specific expectations of different real media texts. This year, however opened me up to perhaps challenging the typical conventions of real media texts. During the first stages of producing a short film, I shortly recognised all the many conventions that a conventional short film held.
- · limited characters
- · limited time scale
- · limited locations
- · easy plot
- · shorter script
- · limited context to the character
- · limited dialogue
- · escapism
Unlike last year where I revolved my
production of a music magazine to fit
all the possible conventions of my desired genre ‘indie pop’ to make it look as
professional as ever, this year I knew that it was time to develop and
challenge the forms and conventions. Similar to last year I undertook extensive
research into ‘what makes a successful short film’ this also meant finding a
preferred genre and style. Personally I found that the most gripping films were
ones that the audience could relate too. The idea of my film fitting the
reception theory where the audience is active and interpreting my film based on
their own personal circumstances meant that I could really target it at a
specific group.
When stepping further into my ideas I was
faced with some limitations that could only mean conforming to the typical
conventions of a short film. Challenging the conventions appeared to become
much more difficult than I expected.
What conventions does my short film consist
of?
It is extremely obvious that I have used
many of the conventions listed above such as limited characters (3) and limited
locations (3). This was due to the complexity of the storyline, I needed to
portray a teenage boy experiencing mental health problem (Schizophrenia)
therefore I felt in order to achieve this, keeping the settings restricted would
not over complicate the plot.
I also wanted the audience to experience
the emotions that the main protagonist was feeling therefore if I had
introduced any other characters to the film I believe it would take the focus
of the main protagonist. Overall I wanted to portray schizophrenia among
someone young who couldn’t grasp his surroundings adequately therefore keeping
the settings simple, and characters limited I felt enhanced this to the
audience.
I
feel like in some ways my film creates a sense of escapism for example if audiences
were watching with no idea of schizophrenia and what it entails, it takes them away
from their own life into something more complex and interesting. My film also uses
an array of simple camerawork such as an ‘over the shoulder shot’ between the
two characters, a simple ‘cut’ sot, close up and mid shots.
What conventions does your film challenge?
When thinking about representing a mental
illness such as Schizophrenia, or any for that case I thought that one way to parallel
this in a film is a complex and unstructured narrative. I have used many
flashbacks in time and jump cuts to ‘hallucinations’ and contrasting different
ambient lighting with highlighted edited lighting. I believed the more abstract
this came across the more representational it is of someone experiencing a
mental illness.
It opposes the ‘wish fulfilment’ idea that
the audience aspire to be like the characters in the film because my film is
more of an informative piece on a certain subject. In the process of this, the character
is expressing his feelings of imprisonment, aloneness, and confusion therefore
the audience are more likely to strike a chord of pity on the character more
than a motivational aspiration towards him.
It also challenges the limited context to a
character because the whole of the film is based on the context and the
background and feelings of one character therefore when producing the film I had
to make sure that I followed a clear conception of his emotions and be careful
not to contradict anything in the film.
If I were to compare my short film to films
that come under a similar line of thought/genre as my own I would say I have
used similar codes and conventions to a substantial level. Many ways in which
they can be compared is the linear structure of a beginning, middle and end.
Also including equilibrium of events for example:
- · Setting the scene
- · A disruption
- · A climax,
- · Resolution
- · A new equilibrium of a satisfactory ending
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