Evaluation Activity 1

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

In our chosen genres, crime action and thriller, special effects is often a key component used to heighten the particular emotions wished to be evoked within the audience. It is difficult to compare the use of special effects within the genres together as there is such a large contrast, so I will discuss them separately before comparing them to our film 'Intrusion' in order to make it more accurate.

Even within the action genre there is such a variety of action it is difficult to accurately sum up the use of special effects as a whole. I suppose it depends on the amount and type of action used in each particular film as one on one fight scenes in an everyday situation would use much less, if any, and a different type of special effect than a full on gun fight battle in a war zone. Special effects are typically used where appropriate in moderation (if wanting to be realistic) in order to enhance or intensify the plot. In the action genre alone, special effects are used often to allow the producer to create any story they like (even the impossible) without endangering the actors. This is also the case within the crime and thriller genre, however typically special effects are used to a higher extent in action films. In the same way, there is also such a variety of special effects it is difficult to compare the use of them in the same way because they are used so differently. For example, special effects can be used to create the unreal, such as dramatic and gruesome battles which cannot physically be acted, as well as just to enhance the realism of certain lighting. Special effects are used in so many different ways it is hard to determine what is typical to what is atypical in my chosen genres.

As a whole, it is almost impossible to compare the use of special effects to the conventions of our chosen genres as there is such a vast choice. The use of special effects depends entirely on the plot (be it linear or non linear), and within each of these genres and sub-genres there are many different opening scenes which still classify as one of these genre types. In our film, partly due to practicality and partly due to the plot, there are little special effects used. The only feature we used which is relatively 'special' was our use of transitions. Although the picture is uninformative and boring, it illustrates our use of fades between different scenes. We used black fades to demonstrate a change in location, change in scene or change in time to the audience. This was helpful in making our opening more understandable, as well as realistic as it showed the passing of time which is something that would have been expected within the audience. When doing our research into our chosen genres, we found that transitions in-between scenes or to show the passing of time was a simple yet conventional way of unravelling the plot at quite a fast pace whilst it still being understandable. The only downfall in using these fades for so many reasons is that they needed to be used throughout in order to demonstrate continuity, however it meant it seemed like there were fades all the time which essentially made it even less realistic than it would have without them. This is something we have learnt and will take into consideration next time.

Even though transitions were the closest thing we used to special effects, we did not feel it was necessary to have included any more. This was because although special effects conform to the genres for the majority, realistically it lies down to the plot, and we did not feel that special effects would have aided our film in any way. I believe that by putting special effects in when it was not necessary would have made 'Intrusion' look childish and unbelievable which is something we were not aiming for. By not following the stereotypes of the genres as a whole, it could be said that our opening two minutes does not conform to the conventions, which is something we wanted, however I believe that to an extent it does adhere to what is expected as with special effects it would not have worked as successfully, and because there is such a large contrast of films within each genre, it would be unfair to judge it on the expectations as a whole.