Advanced Portfolio Evaluation - Tahsina Rahman

{mostly focusing on the working class} Throughout the years, the issues have changed from struggles during war (in the past) to violence in London (present day).

For the audience in the 21st Century, the common issues which we are familiar with are

• crime
• family problems
• sex
• money
  

Most importantly, HOW THEY STRUGGLE AND WORK THROUGH IT.

My film used/developed/challenged the genre/style of 'Social Realism' by...

MISE EN SCENE:

• Diagetic sound - A violin piece inspired by Daldry's 'Eight'; it creates an innocent atmosphere.
  
  The voiceover was by a different person who had the characteristics in the voice, for instance, the emotion, which was also inspired from the same film. The accent also set fit.

• Costume - A list of 'sports' branded hoodies (used to stereotype the working class) for the different places the protagonist is located at.
  
  - Also his trainers were originally newly bought but covered in mud to give off the 'used' effect, and were also a sports brand.

• Make-up - The bruise around the eye (with eyeliner) symbolised the violence (linking in to crime).
  
  - It was a subtle take on what a person could suffer through in a area like such, or stuck in a situation (such as bullying) can suffer through.
  

• Location - Working class flats to show where the antagonist lives, sticking with the stereotype.
  
  - Only capturing (in what we felt) was the working class look in a middle class kitchen (in the college) and with the help of the props to make it more life like.
  
  - The college might have let down the stereotypes we tried to work along as it doesn't have a working class image due to being located in a middle class town.
  
  - The park was a risky place to shoot at as it was seen as 'common' but it suited the isolation, and ironically, the relationship between the antagonist and toy.
  
  - However, the park was realistic to the point where children/teenagers are most likely to hang around in their free time ---> aiming towards our target audience of 12-18.
  
  
• Framing/angles - Starting it off with a chase by handycam, at a long shot which showed off the back of the antagonist, to leave him unidentified which films such as 'About A Girl' managed to do to introduce the main actor.
  
  
• Lighting - We tried to leave lighting out as much as possible to stick for a more natural and gritty effect.
  
  - This leaves the audience with a more personal connection as the idea is to make them feel involved as much as possible.
  
  - You're most likely to receive that effect when the quality is neat, for instance, in a hollywood commercial film.
  

CHARACTERISATION:

• An teenager, seen as a social outcast and illustrates family issues as you watch further into the film.

• -This all contains the emotional and dramatic attributes which are commonly found upon social realist films.

• He hasn't created trouble but it seems to have caught up with him (which isn't looked back on during the film as we didn't want 'violence' to be the main focus).

THEMES AND ISSUES:

• In the monologue, troubles within the family are revealed.
• The bruise shows crime has entered his life, even if it was physical or verbal.
  
• Social problems (friendship)

STYLE/GENRE:

• Short film
• Gritty
• Colour with B/W (for flashbacks).
  

To work against the common features which work towards social realist movies was to change:

• The ending: I felt comfortable with an unpredictable and out of the norm (themes/issues wise) ending due to what Grian's 'Lou Lou Lives Here' included as well as Percival's 'About A Girl' (which was what it was largely based on without the gore) and incorporated it onto a more light-hearted tone.
  
  
• The style: The subtle hints of romance with the crush, the awkward/not in the norm friendship with the toy and the flashbacks.

The effectiveness of the film/poster/review combined..

TARGET AUDIENCE:

• 12-18
• Female

POSTER:

• The lead role is placed on the poster - the head was purposely cut off to create enigma for the character <-- to bring in the audience.

• I feel the enigma is most likely to appeal to teenagers as it raises questions as to why there is a toy in the hand, possibly being able to predict the psychological aspect.
  

• The clothes are casual indicating the class it's worked around, plus it correlates to the colloquialism found through the setting and voice of the voiceover.
  

• The tagline doesn't exactly work around the dimensions of the target audience but it links back to the enigma, as it is a subtle take on the plot of the film.

• The dull, broad image of the title is, firstly, the same from the film and plays off the mundane tone the film sets off when you receive a sense of the character's personality (at first) and the settings.

• The ratings and comments from the sources add a persuasive touch to the poster, as well as choosing sources which the audience can familiarise with and cater to teenagers with a wide range of media.

• The awards will only be an advantage to an audience member who are dedicated film fans, as the sources are prestigious, this often persuades people to go along and watch the film.

• However, the fact that the certificate is a 12, this may restrict us from the desired target audience because it often illustrates that a film with a 12 certificate won't contain footage worth watching, especially as a teenager.

• Making the film a 15 would have left out a large proportion of viewers, but would also convey some material may not suitable for children under the age of 15, which isn't the case for Anonymous.

REVIEW:

• Too much of the plot wasn't revealed as I hadn't wanted it to contain spoilers
• Fluently written
• Honest opinions based on acting, advantages/disadvantages
• The layout is as close to Little White Lies as possible
• The colour scheme suited the photo
• The photo is an actual capture from the film
• Font for the title of the film is practically similar/same as the one used in the magazine
  

Audience Feedback - (12-18 - College peers)
Displayed on facebook through private messages.

Pros:

• Dramatic
• Storyline
• Mysterious
  
• Music - brought out emotion
  
• Acting
• Continuity
  
• Match on action
  
• Camera work was 'arty' whilst remaining 'gritty'
• Angles
  
• Voice-over - delivery was decent and emotive
  
• Silence at the beginning - gripping for the audience
  
• Showed loneliness well
• Found the repetitive music to work well with the 'mundane' life
  

Cons:

• Bitty - seemed to jump from one anecdote to another
• Psychiatrist (me) - too aware of the camera and didn't like the 'wagging' of the pen
• Repetitive music
• Too zoomed in the psychiatrist's face
• Running shot - wasn't clear within the narrative
• Found the shot of Jimmy 'petting' the doll contradictory towards the monologue as it shows a more 'pet' like relationship rather then a friendship
• Several shots go on for too long
  

Could have been improved by:

• Dramatic tones to underline the really pivotal parts
• Shots in the kitchen could have been different
• Would have preferred a still shot rather then a shaky shot with 'Jimmy' running.
• Different locations
• (In psychiatrist shot) Book should have been handed sooner