Critical Evaluation - Question 1

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

We have created a short film called ‘Tea, Coffee and Cancer’ which stretches and tests many conventions of real media products. During our research a lot of my time was spent watching and studying films similar to what we hoped ours would be. During the intensive research I found common features in the romantic/drama genre such as the time passing sequences which break continuity by showing small pieces of action and jumping between them at different stages of the characters development.

From the image to the left you see the characters in summer and to the right in winter which shows the developement of the relationship. This is similar to our own where we have a scene by the lake in the cold and then in the sunshine.

Continuity was kept regularly using camera angles in the films I looked at including eye line shots which showed what the character was looking at, this created intensity between characters which fits the romantic part of the genre. I also noticed during dramatic scenes the camera would often cut between two locations to show an audience what is happening in both scenes and to build tension.

Our film firstly reflects the genre of romantic drama as we have used the conventions found during research. The time passing sequence is similar to other films as it shows the development of the characters relationship and how they fall in love over time. This sequence of shots can be related to Laura Mulvey’s theory of Scopophilia as the audience enjoy the viewing of a developing relationship which in real life you would not be a part of this is voyeuristically pleasurable. We also cut between locations during the final scenes to show both character’s activity at that time. This builds tension and works well in our film. ‘Tea, Coffee and Cancer also challenge ‘rom com’ conventions by containing an unexpected ending. My research showed majority of romantic films end happily but we chose to end ours with both characters dying to create more impact on the love story.

We diverge from our genre’s code at the beginning of our film as the female character gives the male her telephone number showing she has authority between them. This challenges the typical stereotype of the man in charge and the damsel in distress. This also challenges Richard Dyers theory of the representation of men as in this scene the female has authority.

 We chose to do this because society is changing and women are becoming equal to men both on screen and in real life so this gives our film a refreshing twist on the characters relationship. However dominance roles continue to change during the scene where Molly needs help down from the platform she is stood on, male scopophilia is satisfied in this scene as the man has re-asserted his authority and lifts Molly down .

Although we don’t contain any intertextual moments where we reference other films the time passing scene and relationship between Molly and Alfie fits universally to the entire genre of films.

By swapping power roles and challenging conventions I am confident our film now appeals to a wider audience than the usual romantic film. The references to modern day real life combined with the script and believable characters provide pleasure to an audience as they become a part of the story because the more an audience can relate will mean the more an audience can feel and enjoy a film.