Conventions of a Real Media Text

The conventions of a usual Crime and Gangster film include things like guns, crime and violence. We have followed these rules into our film to make it look as professional as possible. Another convention in the Crime and Gangster genre is to have the characters in your film to be dangerous and to not have any fear of opposing characters, the actors we have chosen can fit into this category as they both look very intimidating and both actors can act the part well. Both our actors are dressed conventionally but both are rather well groomed so that may take the audience away from the atmosphere we are trying to create throughout the film as the may not believe that they can be a dangerous pair even with the intimidating look.

The setting we chose at the beginning of the film stays in the generics of a Crime and Gangster film as it is very rough looking with smashed windows and graffiti along the walls. We believe this will make the atmosphere even more believable as it will look authentic and not a set up spot. It also looks as if this kind of activity would occur there on a regular basis.

Most Crime and Gangster films have a very dark and sinister light to them. We tried not to break this convention by keeping the lighting dull and kind of eerie, this should keep the audience believing that it is actually happening and there shouldn't be a contrast between the darkness of the activity and the dim light.

When we were discussing our film idea we decided that instead of following what most other Crime and Gangster films seem to lose, we would make our own twist to the generics and focus more on the plot as opposed to dwelling on action scenes for an extended period of time which can cause the audience to sometimes be taken away from the film and make them feel less involved. The way we did it with showing more of the plot should make the viewer feel like they are 'in the know' and they are almost part of what is going on, this should make them want to watch the entire film as they will want to know how it came to the outcome shown at the beginning.

Costume

Our main characters have been given the choice of wearing jeans or tracksuit bottoms. We gave them these two options as both of them are stereo-typically known for being worn by teens. Don and Mani both chose to wear baggy jeans as they thought it would add to the theme of crime and gangster as they both thought that tracksuit bottoms, if not worn correctly can either look tacky or amateur.


Both of our main characters both went with the decision on Adidas trainers as they thought they had recently been seen as a teenager branded shoe. This adds to the authenticity of the film and can make it look more believable, especially if all the characters wear them because it could then be called a 'trend'.


Mani, when first introduced is wearing baggy jeans, Adidas trainers and a blue Sergio Tacchini hoodie. The hoodies play a major role in our film as we all know that teenagers are also stereo-typically known for being 'hoodlums'. When seeing a boy of 15-18 with a hood up walking when there is no weather issues you tend to think that he is trouble straight off.

Don, is also portrayed as being a so called 'hoodlum' with his baggy jeans, Adidas trainers, black hoodie and Red cap. All of the items of clothing we have used in the film we helped our actors specially choose to come together as being an authentic looking crime and gangster film. From doing this i learnt how big time directors and script writers make there films look more realistic and how they use Mise-en-scene to create a good look.




What I learnt from looking at the costumes of the characters is the effect it can have on the film itself. If the characters where wearing skinny jeans and a cardigan they wouldn't look as intimidating as they do in the outfits mentioned above. This gives an authentic feel to the film and makes the acting look more believable as the outfit almost adds a feel itself. 

Storyboard

storyboard, voice over complete NEW from Elliot Blatchford on Vimeo.

What I learnt from making this storyboard is that when you actually think about the sounds and narration, it is a lot harder to write down than you first think. It really puts the film idea into perspective and helps show if it is a realistic idea or is achievable. You have to think about what each shot will be like really thouraghly as it helps imagine it on screen more.

Here is our storyboard, over the top of the images I have produced a voiceover which explains what is happenning in each shot and what type of shot it is. From doing this i have learnt that I can plan my own film through split shots, this is important for a film as you can then plan how you are going to lay out the shots and help to find a similar setting.

Settings blog

The setting in which we have chosen is behind an abandoned building, the floor is plain dirt and you can see the side of the wall, to show what the building was like. In this case the wall is dirty and the windows have fencing on them to stop people getting in, also giving off a dark feeling. One of the main reasons we chose this setting is because it looks like a place of which crime and gangster scenes are set, it is just off of a main road so there will be background noise of cars and lights flashing through the bushes as the cars go past. The angle of which we have filmed it makes it look like the building is set in a dark and sinister place where nobody would ever think to look. This makes it easier for fights and gunshots to happen with it seeming more realistic.

The other main setting is around the corner from here (to the right of the shot) the reason of which we have chosen this is because of the graffiti'd upon walls. This adds to setting the scene as a crime and gangster film as it looks as if they are used to hanging around in places like this. It makes the audience think that it is a place of which they like to hang out making them look like troublesome teens. We placed the camera towards the wall to make sure that the audience gets the type of setting that we are in. Which also gives a good view of the graffiti'd upon walls.




From making this setting board you can see the effect each little simple thing will have on the outcome of the film as it all adds to the atmosphere. One little thing could make the whole scene look unbelievable for the genre and could ruin the whole feel of the film. What I learnt from this is that its harder than you first think to find the right setting for the film genre and to make sure it look 100% authentic. 

Props

The image above is of the BB gun we used as a real gun in the film. We needed this as basically all Crime and Gangster films have gun fights and just a general use of guns in them. The gun is used as a dramatical device and adds to making the film a more believable Crime and Gangster themed film. The gun is used by Mani and when shot has edited in sound effects of a real gun shot. We used this as a prop to add a feeling of the character of having 'no fear'. We also used it as in the film one of the characters gets killed by the other so we had to have some type of prop that would be able to do this job and look realistic in the process.  

The picture above is of the phone used in the film. Don pulls this out of his pocket when recieving a message from Mani, this is a good prop and is used well as most teenagers communicate via mobile phone nowadays. We used this phone as it is a relatively new high end phone that many people would want. As the two boys are criminals it doesn't seem like something they could afford but we decided we could still use it as we could say that he stole it. This would show the desire for this type of phone and it is the type of phone our target audience may want to have themselves.

We use this prop as a set up to a part in the intro that creates suspense. We did this by getting one of the characters to send a text to the other which gives part of the story-line away. It half tells you what is going to happen in that scene.

We did not discard any props as all the ones we initially thought of fitted the genre perfectly or could fit around it if necessary.

Audience Research complete from Elliot Blatchford on Vimeo.


From doing this task I learnt what people tend to expect in crime and gangster films and what age they think the films should be restricted to. I have worked at what they have said and made sure to try and get the majority of what they said into the film as it should make it look like a proper crime and gangster film.

I can now take on board what they said and try and incorporate that into my own film as this should make it seem more professional. It will help a lot as several of the people asked where in our target audience so listening to what they would expect to see will make it easier for us to make it appeal to them.

Name: Brook Keelan McGechie 

Age: 17

Occupation: Full time Education

Bio: Mani is another unemployed, 19 year old who keeps himself on edge by committing crimes daily. After finding out that his dad beats his mum he also turned into a life of drugs and crime with a hatred for his dad. Don and Mani both became close when they admitted there troubles but they also never fail to hurt the ones they love the most. Mani is the more involved of the two and does not care about consequences. As mentioned in my other character profile they are both into hardcore drugs and do not seem to worry about how bad things could turn for them.

Appearance: Wears baggy jeans, hoodies and thick trainers.

Personality: Mani is a crime loving teen who doesnt hesitate to star a fight on anyone who looks at him funny.

Him and Don (Donald)are seen as partners in crime due to there outgoing attitude and the fact that they barely ever leave each others side... but when he does, things go bad.

The image on the right is of one of our main characters Mani (Emmanuel) played by Brook McGechie. We have chosen him as he attends the same school as us and is in our media class therefore it isnt hard to get hold of him if we need to film. Another reason of which we chose Brook is because he has a 'teenage crime life' look about him, this should also add to how believable it is.




From looking at the way the characters look at the vibe they give off will help add to the atmosphere of the film and we will be able to use Brooks natural intimidating look to our advantage.

Script

It is set around the back of a abandoned building.


Mani comes around the corner in his baggy jeans, with his hood up. Hes holding a gun, checks the ammo and places it in the back of his trousers. He walks up to the corner of the building and peaks around the corner to see whats happenning.
When looking around the corner he sees Don, hes standing outside some doors which have been grafiti'd upon. Don is wearing jeans, a hoodie and a flat peak cap with his hood up and is sparking up a spliff.

As Mani turns back from looking at Don he takes his phone out of his pocket and sends Don a text to take his attention away from the surroundings, as he looks down and reads the text Mani walks over to Don and Don realises.

Don: ''Wassup Mani, where you been at bro?''

Mani: ''Dont worry about that man''

Don: ''Ah, alright... Wha'son?''

Mani attacks Don and puts him to the ground, as he pulls him back up Mani pins Don up again grafiti'd upon double doors.

Mani: ''You shouldn't have got us into this shit man, this is too far''

Don: ''What the fuck are you talking about Mani''

Mani: ''You should have just given him the money, now i've got to do this!''

As Mani struggles to hold back tears of anger Don apologises whilst crying.

Don: ''Please Mani, Im sorry''

Mani pulls the gun from the back of his trousers out and places it to the side of Dons head.

Mani: ''Im sorry Don, goodbye''

Mani pulls the trigger and leaves Don  in a puddle of his own blood whilst crying on the step beside him.

As time goes back it shows Don and Mani meeting under a subway.

Mani: ''Wha'son blad, ive got a job for us''

Don: ''Count me in man''

Name: Samuel Northmore

Age: 17

Occupation: Submarine Engineer/Part time farmer

Bio: Don is an unemployed, 19 year old crimester who is always up to no good. when his parents split up when he was 12 he turned to a life of drugs and crime. When 'hangin'' with Emanuel (Mani) they never fail to cause trouble and get on the bad side of the whole city. With both of them into hardcore drugs he isn't the usual teenager you would think to see on the streets.

Appearence: tends to wear tracksuit bottoms, hoodies, flat peak caps and addidas trainers.

Personality: Don goes at life with a 'do what you like' attitude and has a hatred towards everyone besides Mani. He sees life as a joke and doesnt caere about what people thinks about him

The image on the left is of actor Sam Northmore. He will be playing the character Don, the 'partner in crime' of Mani. We chose Sam because he is a very reliable person so we will be able to film whenever and Sam will be there. We believe he looks like he could be from a rough area as he has an intimidating look about him that will help make the film look believable. With this, Sam's character wont make the audience come out of the moment because he fits the part really well. This will keep the audience engaged the whole way through the film/first two minutes.

The mass media in the UK is regulated. This means that legal bodies have been set up to tell you what age certification your film is and what attributes consist to have this certification. These are set up, usually by the government, to protect the public and avoid them seeing abusive and harmful footage.


In my film I may include minor drug use, but i do know that i must not promote drugs or encourage drug use, i shall not do this as it will increase the certification of my film to an 18 rating. Other things such as misuse of easily accessible substances such as aerosols and solvents are unlikely to be acceptable as it can encourage people to do this.


I also found out that Strong language in a 15 certification film may be frequently used. 'The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt') is acceptable if justified by the context' according to the BBFC guidelines. This is good for our film as we do not use the strongest of terms in our film only strong language such as 'fuck'.


'Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.' W also found this on the BBFC guidelines page, this shows that we can have strong violence throughout our film but we shall not dwell on violence (basically meaning no torture). These guidelines help us to create an image of what we can and cant have in our film due to the certification restrictions.

Target Audience

From doing this task I learnt about the age and gender that my film will be aimed at and why. This will help me when making the film intro as I will know the limits of violence and language I can use. We decided to aim our film toward older teenagers and people in their 20's. 

The style of our chosen film is generalised as Crime and Gangster. The majority of the viewers are young and modern. Crime and Gangster is notoriously known for its drugs, guns and general crime. Crime and Gangster was originally designed to be about underground criminal activity but over the years it has changed into a more gang related genre rather than mafia related. This enables the makers to make the film to fit a more specific audience. Already this would narrow down the target audience, to young, active people who like to watch films about crime and drugs, it will give the viewer a sence of thrill. Whereas others (adults/old people/young children) may find these circumstances intimidating and dangerous.

Textual Analysis

Memento Opening 2 Minutes

Sound

Strings

Bad, dull mood

Low key

Repetitive

Photo flick

Camera

Big bass

Gun

Shell

Man shouting

It adds eeriness and tension to the scene. It creates a sad atmosphere as the strings are played with long notes in a low key. The big bass drop indicates that something is about to happen/has happened.

Camera Shots

Close up of man holding and flapping picture

Panning shot upwards of central protagonist

Close up of bullet shell

Close up of blood

Close up of glasses

Man undying

Shell going back into gun

Man shouting

Characters

Central protagonist- wears a suit, has a wedding ring

Dead(ish) man – wearing smart casual clothes

Plot

Everything happens backwards, almost like the man is remembering it.

Man gets unshot

Photo gets untaken

Photo is of crime scene

Other

Black screen with blue production shots

We know that this film is in the Psychological Thriller (Horror) genre because all of these features combined create an eerie and almost scary atmosphere. You want to know why the man has been killed and what’s going on.

Snatch-2 minutes

      ·        Sound-

         Commentary of Jason Statham (Giving a brief outline of the plot and who two of the characters are in the shot.) He sounds intimidating and like your classic 'hard man' from films. This tells us that he will be one of the main characters in the film and may be getting into some kind of trouble. What he is saying also backs up this point.

·        Camera Shots-

      Close up of back of head, followed by panning upwards to show a mid shot of the two main characters. Close up of the two main characters, switching between them both. Switched to new setting, a close up of security camera screen.

·        Characters-

      Turkish- boxing promoter (more dominant off the pair), Tommy (partners, known each other since they were young.). Turkish helps to keep Tommy out of trouble. Tommy likes to think that he is a lot better than what he is, this is known by what Turkish was telling us about the lie of which he tells people about him being named after a gun. Two security guards and some imposters dressed as Jewish people.

·        Plot-

      Turkish starts to go off on a tangent about diamonds and how much he knows about diamonds. Gives us an idea about the plot being about stealing diamonds.

·        Genre-

       Crime and gangster genre shown by attires and voices.

·        Other-

       Fades into first shot.

This task helped show me the drastic effects camera shots and sound effects have on films. If you can combine the right chots with the right sound effects the film will look very proffesional. Knowing this will greatly help me produce a good opening 2 minutes to my film as these films are high end crime and gangster.

Synopsis

Synopsis

Donald (Don) and Emmanuel (Mani) are smoking illegal substances, whilst unknowingly getting into a lot of illegal deals. Undercover cop Roger has a vendetta against the pair as they are leading youngsters into a criminal lifestyle with the pair’s extensive drug and alcohol abuse. It won’t take long before they entail in clashes and gunfights. Will Rodger ever get Mani and Don off the streets?

Beginning: Don and Mani are two general G’s that are known by everyone in the hood but especially by Rodger, the head officer of the neighbourhood. He already wants to put the two boys away in prison and is sure they are up to something.

Don and Mani have been doing a lot of little crimes and Rodger can guess it’s them.

Middle: Don and Mani get more confident with themselves but they begin to lose trust with everyone around them. They end up getting into a big fight and killing someone. Rodger hears about a murder and knows that it will be the two boys so sets out how to get them.

End: The boys and Rodger have a confrontation and a gun fight between the boys and Rodger kicks off. The boys hit Rodger with one of the shots and wounds but don’t kill him. They then kill Rodger.

The end.

This task is for the outline of the film. From doing this I learnt that Crime and Gangster plots are harder to make up than I first thought.

Codes and Conventions

From this task I have learnt about the different sub generes of the two genres and helped myself decide on which one I would like to choose to make the film on. The look and sound of 'Crime and Gangster' appealed to me so I went with that one.

Elliot & Wills Prelim Task from Elliot Blatchford on Vimeo.

From this I learnt the techniques that I will need to use in my final project. It made me realise that it is more tricky to sticking to the rules (e.g 180 degree rule).  I will hopefully begin to improve these techniques throughout the project. They will provide the basic professionalism for the final film and will increase the quality. Doing this will help me make the film look a lot better and I shouldn't break any of the rules for film making.