Evaluation Activity 1.

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

Following and Challenging the forms and conventions of other film openings:

• We used unknown actors, which is a typical convention for social realist films, which is what we did with our opening.

• I think our film opening challenges the forms and conventions of other real media productions as it combines two unlikely/opposing scenarios. Stereotypes of ballet connotes more grace and innocence, youth and beauty and this is which contrasts entirely with drugs and it’s connotations which is more sadness, addiction and loneliness. Although the themes ballet and drug taking our very different, therefore are less typical, the using of drugs still fits well with our genre social realism.

• I also think that our choice in music, with To Build A Home is different to typical film openings. However I feel that our music choices were very good and that it fit well as it really connects with the audience's emotions.

• We also used shots which are filmed in conjunction with one another, to give the illusion that two situations are going on at the same time. To do this we used fade to black transitions to distinguish between the two scenes. I think that transitions for an opening sequence are more of a rare technique, as a film opening is all about setting the scene and its not very typical for openings to try and set two scenes at once. However we were able to this effectively, without it being to confusing or disjointed.

• We also used a cyclical narrative, meaning our opening scene is one of the final scenes in the film, as if we were beginning with the end. I feel that this is also rare for film openings.

Black Swan inspiration • Our film opening is clearly inspired by the film ‘Black Swan’

however, we have interpreted it differently to make it more unique and different.

• More than anything else from the film, I was most inspired by the cinematography and liked the darkness of the shots included and felt it made the film itself more dark.

Frame 1

This shot is the first shot in our opening, inspired from the Black Swan when main protagonist is dancing on stage.

I loved the darkness high contrast of the pointe shoe and the black stage in this shot and makes the shoes really stand out, especially with the reflection of it. I think it makes it look more professional while also more elegant which is very different to what the film is actually about.

This shot is also important for the opening because it automatically shows the audience the film is about ballet.

Frame 2

This frame is an extreme close up shot on the main protagonists eyes. This shot shows her natural make up which links to the connotations of ballerinas being naturally beautiful and elegant.

This shot is very simple which I feel is more effective as it shows Chrissy's calm yet worried facial expressions to the drugs she is about to take and the performance she is about to perform. This is also gives the impression she is taking a deep breath, preparing herself.

Frame 3

This next shot is the only shot used that was filmed in a dance studio, which is used to show the dancers practicing before going on the stage to perform.

It’s a bright shot in comparison to shots which are filmed onstage, which fits better with the stereotypes that ballerinas are pure and innocent than the darker shots.

The dancers are wearing pale pink pointe shoes and tights, which connotes youth, innocence, love and femininity which contrasts against the upcoming shot of Chrissy taking drugs.

With the dance studio location being used it makes the shots more professional than a normal sports hall and also makes the dancers look more professional within the film.

Frame 4

This is a very important shot for us to have included in our opening because before this shot the audience are unaware of the protagonists dark side and the fact that she's taking performance enhancing drugs to deal with the huge pressure that she is facing.

While filming this shot we focused the camera on the white pills and started the shot before Chrissy has picked them up so the audience understand the importance and significance of them.

We would like to mention that these are simple headache tablets and not any form of harmful drug. We also did not let Chrissy swallow them as we wanted to keep as safe as possible.

Frame 5

This shot is a tracking shot where Chrissy is followed through the back corridors towards the stage.

I think her shadow onto the wall is really effective as it as if her darkest secrets are still with her and following her everywhere even though people are oblivious to it. I achieved the shadow effect by holding up a hand held light from behind her, while Scarlet filmed. She filmed on a hand held camera which gives the effect that we are right behind Chrissy.

Frame 6

This shot is an over the shoulder shot in order to show that Chrissy is looking in the reflection of a mirror.

Her facial expressions show her lonely and depressed feeling and emotions.

Frame 7 The medium shows of this performance are to show that although Chrissy is surrounded by dancers, she feels completely alone.

These frames also show the simplicity and similarities in the costumes among all of the dancers.

Frame 8

This frame shows a low angle shot of Chrissy which was filmed in the toilets. We purposely made it so we could also see Chrissy’s reflection in the mirror behind her.

I think the low angle portrays Chrissy as superior, which reflects her confidence boost having taken the drugs. However it also challenges the representation of Chrissy as although we know she's a highly established dancer, her self esteem and confidence is clearly very low as she feels she needs to take the drugs in the first place. This is shown in her sad facial expression.

I like this shot because although it is one of the brighter ones in the opening it contrasts heavily to what has just happened there.

This frame also shows Chrissy's cardigan falling off which has been done to suggests she's a bit of a mess and not aware, which is due to her being nervous.

Frame 9 This is the final shot within our opening which shows the title of our film, other than the shot showing the definition of our title.

We took a long time deciding out title, and finally chose this one as has a double meaning ‘to shadow or to obscure’ in ballet terminology while also meaning ‘to make one self seem insignificant or inconspicuous’ in the English language. We thought this fit perfectly to the plot of our film as Chrissy as she is trying to shadow her problems with drugs while also trying to make herself seem insignificant.

The font was chosen as we wanted to keep it simple as we didn’t want it ruin the background image of Chrissy. We also felt it was classic and timeless which fits the connotations of ballet.

This final shot leaves the audience in anticipation and questioning what is to happen next as the final shot is Chrissy falling and they don’t see what happens next.