Conventions and Representation

• How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

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conventions and representation

3:03

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My media product is situated within the coming-of-age/drama genre, so I followed conventions typical to this genre, such as the editing style, with its natural, slice-of-life flow and progression, and the character focused shots, where the character and their appearance is established and introduced to the viewer, so that the audience can get an idea of who this character is early on. I also included conventions such as the credits, naming the crew members like the director and editor, as well as a title sequence, which are usually present in most film openings, to make my own opening more realistic. The colours of the shots are also pretty characteristic to its genre, with this almost over the top lively feel that coming-of-age movies typically have, contrasted by the darker scenes, which are quite unconventional in the genre. The title could be considered rather unconventional too, because coming-of-age films usually have a more descriptive and denotative title. I chose 'Doors' because I thought the metaphor really suited the story and the character's life, as explained in the monologue '[...] all my life, I'd been perpetuating my misery, walking through the wrong doors, making the wrong decisions [...] but then I walked out the gate'. The 'doors' can quite literally represent the physical doors (or gates) of the places the character visits, but they could also be a metaphor for wrong decisions.

The film's main theme represents mental health issues, like depression, in teenagers and high-schoolers, which have constantly been increasing in number of cases over the past few years. The theme of the opening led me to shoot and edit it in what could seem like a bit of an overdramatic way, to try and transmit the impact and emotions as experienced by the character, to the viewer. The opening also explores the character's thought patterns and their way of seeing and experiencing the world. I explored their personality and story through some exposition done in the form of the voiceover, which is also a pretty characteristic aspect of the drama and coming-of-age genre. One of the films that inspired me in creating this film opening is 'Life as a house', following the story of a teenage boy and his struggles with drug addiction and depression. The way his character is portrayed and how his costuming is used as a physical representation of his mental health, and the way he heals from his struggles throughout the film, as well as the occasionally over the top and overly dramatic style of scenes, were a big inspiration and played an important role in how my own film opening turned out. That film inspired me on an emotional level, and my main goal with creating this project was to also inspire my viewers to try to heal and get better.