Evaluation activity one- In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The use of the title ' Bitter Twisted Lies' has been used to effectively convey and denote the contrasting themes within our film. For example the use of the lexis ' Bitter' relates to the bitterness of my character as I find out what Chris has been doing behind my back,despite the vows of matrimony. The use of

the lexis ' Twisted' relates to the context of who Chris has been cheating on me with- my supposed best friend Aimee or rather Scarlett in our film. This results in my love souring and becoming twisted in the sense that I can never trust again- especially the opposite sex. Although this is not explicitly shown in the film teaser trailer, the use of this title thus hints at it.The 'lies' of course is a clear distinguishable reference to the lies that are told within the narrative e.g. a particular inter title says ' he said he loved me' but it was all just a lie, stated as a voiceover . This reflects the web of deceit that is being spun to keep me away from the sordid truth. In terms of the actual screen grab that I have here, the use of the black background heavily contrasts against the stand-out font which is white outlined in red, to symbolise the hue of passion and lust. the use of this inversion of font engages the readers attention and is further emphasised by the elision at the end of the title.The title has been capitalised for the first letter of each word to heavily highlight what the major themes of the film is about as explained earlier.The font was also chosen for its stylistic conventions. For example primarily I chose it for the colour combination but also the actual font itself ie. the Gothic illustrative stylism, asides from the conventional lines through certain letters. No special effects where used, although I suggested we used some sort of effect to implement the title. In terms of the formatting it has been placed at certain points of the page e.g. Bitter at the top left, twisted centred middle and lies ... at the bottom right. 

In terms of generic conventions this title subverts it as researching the top 3 romantic genre films, I discovered that a great deal of predominant white font is used- this is shown below.

This shot has been specifically chosen to implement the sense of passion and lust between them two despite underlying and lingering guilt for the betrayal of my love, their sense of passion between them two is a lot stronger and overcomes their guilty frame of mind. The most significant focus of this shot is the positioning between the couple- with clear emphasis on Chris's character , suggesting that he is the main instigator of the adultery that he is committing, which gives the audience a sense of his characterisation- typical ' bad boy'. The use of positioning supports 'The Laura Malvey's gaze theory' which suggests that females are sexualised for the benefit of a heterosexual male audience, indicating that despite the predominant focus on a female audience, the use of sexual scenes appeals to the hegemonic male. The facial expression appears to be half smiling at the person he has got before him as though he is amazed at the wonder that he has before him and his head is tilted towards Aimee as though he is leaning in to kiss her, again expressing the masculine dominance that he holds over her, implying that she may be just as guilty as him for the hurt they have caused me, but only because she enjoys thrills whereas it almost seems as though she is his puppet and he is manipulating her or seducing her into an unattainable relationship that goes against the restrictions of the law. The location that has been used here is Charley's bedroom, so if course to keep it authentic we have used bright lighting,. with a soft almost feminine glow which infers that this is the matrimonial bedroom, indicating that I am out at the moment and that they are potentially playing with fire as essentially I could arrive at any moment. The fact that Aimee's face has been obscured shows that in this particular shoot Aimee is just another submissive female in his woman trap- we get the impression that this may have not been the first time that he has gone behind my back but it has never surfaced until it was my best friend. The costume is again one of the important features of this two shot as although Chris is in a shirt, Aimee  is in a black Cami so it subtly hints to the audience  what the events that follow will be. Another factor to note is to whether this subverts or conforms to the conventions of a teaser trailer romantic drama. This particular shot indeed does conform to the conventions of a Romantic Drama as quite often, many films use  a similar narrative to ours and thus use two shots such as these to convey it. For example the film ghost uses a similar two shot which I have included below:

 

Another two shot of Chris and Amiee but this time, it is clear to see the facial features of her character unlike the other two shot where she was merely obscured. In fact in this shot she is the instigator of the conversation as she asks Chris ' when are you going to tell her it's over' to which he replies almost pleadingly ' I will I promise' as if giving her that reassurance say that she should think to leave him and he doesn't want that happening- he likes to be the dominant figure the one in charge and he he doesn't like  having to resort to desperate measures such as  acting submissive. An intriguing feature also about the dialect that is used is the way that it creates an echo effect almost as though it is representing that it is all in the past and this is just another page of the story, there's more to come. Another key feature of this two shot is the use of the domestic location of a kitchen which is so significantly different to any of the other shots that feature them perhaps suggesting that there relationship is based on more than just lust despite first initial impressions- since the narrative does begin with alot of passionate montage shots between Amiee and Chris. The use of the bright lighting enhances the conversation that is taking place and so highlights their face to take into account facial expressions as its clear here how much they mean to each other. Also the use of costume has been specifically chosen to convey their characterisations. For example Chris is wearing a grey hoodie and a quirky white t- shirt which reflects that he is laid back and quirky in the sense that he has inaccurate morals on what is right and wrong. For example he doesn't stop to think about the implications about how his actions could consequently ruin me and thus he is completely selfish and unaware of other peoples feelings, even Aimee's because he is caught in a self conceited bubble. This is another shot which fits the stereotypical conventions of a romantic genre evidenced by this two shot from ' boarding gate'.
 

This two shot has been chosen to effectively highlight the contrast between their characterisations and mine, thus the use of passion and lust is signified. This is particularly shown through Aimee's facial expression which appears quite conniving and manipulative,  suggesting that Chris may have the dominance in some circumstances but she knows how to impose her authority over him. What is so different from this shot in juxtaposition to the other Chris and Amiee shots is how she is the instigator as opposed to him. Another important feature of this shot to note is the use of positioning. For example, Aimee's head is tilted downwards, with a slight curved smile on her face as she has got Chris exactly where she wants him and his submissiveness is clear by the manner he is bowed over her- presumably in actions of desire. The use of the centred shot also signifies their roles of two of the three main protagonists. The use of the costume has also a massive impact on the scene portrayed here. For example Amie is wearing a black strappy Cami, which effectively conveys what the following events will be i.e sex whereas Chris one again is wearing a hoodie this time in green reflecting his laid back personality. Also the bed has been carelessly rumpled which could indicate that the deed has already been done and the use of the flowered duvet shows my feminine touch that they are destroying. The use of lighting here is also significant because it enhances their facial features and expressions, and this has been done using a soft feminine glow which infers that Amiee is the one in control.

This closeup focuses predominantly on my hand ready to open the door which gives the audience the impression that something major is about to happen, although they are not sure as to what it is since the footage does not follow a linear narrative. The use of  such shots as these implement a sense of suspense and ambiguity in contrast to the more exiting montage shots, as the audience is left wondering questions such as what is the purpose of this, why has it been included here. One of the effects that I like most about this shot is the shadowing upon the door which is heavily enhanced by the use of lighting which almost suggests that their is a foreshadowing upon this trailer which infers the title ' Bitter Twisted Lies' effectively.

The most significant focus of this shot is the use of framing, i.e the rule of thirds which is implemented by the use of the centred middle frame. The use of the positioning is also important, as you can see here my face is portraying  the disgust and sadness  that my illness brings, my mouth open in shock as it overcomes me.  The use of location is also important, as the bathroom gives the context that I am looking at myself in the mirror. The mirror task was actually influenced by a previous classroom task titled ' what are you doing here' where we used a similar shot and the lighting was similar to this bathing my face in an ethereal glow, making me seem quite angelic and innocent in contrast to Amiee and Chris's characterisations. This framed shot also conforms to the hypodermic  needle theory, which suggests that the media injects messages into a passive audience. In this case the message conveyed to the audience is that I am the innocent protagonist, who's love for Chris is shattered as the demises of time reveals his destructive love affair with my best friend. The audience are made to feel sorry for me through the use of shots such as these which reinforce my fragile and weak state. However this is juxtaposed against frames where I am seen as dominant and strong i.e. I instigate the argument with Chris. However because the ratio of frames such as these are small in comparisons to the innocence shown, the audience feel pity and perhaps can also identify with my character.

This juxtaposed 4 way split shot has been inspired by 500 days of summer in which they used a two way split screen  to signify expectations vs reality The picture below shows this. Asides from the obvious structuring of the shot, the use of selection is also particularly significant here in terms of which shots were chosen. For example we chose corresponding shots of me and Amiee to symbolise the ambiguity as to which one is pregnant which allows full engagement of the audience as they try and work out who it is. Their is also the key use of costume. For example the colours used for Amiee are generally quite light colours to emphasise that she is seen a more favourable in Chris's eyes whereas the use of drab, dull colours for me enhances the dreary dull routine of everyday life which I have to complete i.e. housework. The use of different locations is also important to note, all but one was done at Charley's uncles house, whereas we deliberately chose my belly rub shot to be filmed at Charley's house to signify the difference, suggesting that I am viewed as an outcast and that I am isolated from Chris because of his attraction to my best friend, which doesn't reflect well on his personality. This shot also challenges generic conventions of a Romantic drama genred film, as the use of the split screen is often associated with post-modern films, which allows the tweaking of typical conventions creating a sense of hybridity.  The use of the warm glow of lighting  in the three shots express our facial expressions to the audience more clearly whereas the one shot with normal lighting reflects that at times I am viewed as the person who is there, but nothing more, there is no sense of identity- which you notice alot in my two shots as my face is usually obscured or gets cut off whereas Aimee's primary shot of her walking into the bathroom with the test, shows her face suggesting that she holds the control over Chris not me.

This full shot was done in Charley's uncles kitchen and we used mise-en scene to create a waiting room atmosphere. For example the use the two chairs and the table reinforced by the door create a surgery- like environment which allows our film to become more authentic. The use of the wallpapering is also a typical colour to be used creating a homely atmosphere designed for reassurance. The use of costume here shows me to be in a fashionable grey coat wearing jeans and being well covered to fully get across my innocent and slightly naive nature, which is further implemented by my facial expression as I anxiously wait in wake of the serious news I'm about to be given.What is so clever about this shot is how it flicks between me looking worried , a clock ticking slowly and back to be looking around which symbolises my worry and strife.