Conventions essay

“Sometimes, working within constraints produce the most interesting work” (Branston and Stafford)
How have you used real media conventions to produce interesting or effective coursework productions?

Conventions have always been present as producers have created work.  They lead the way to as how people can create similar pieces of work in the attempt to pastiche and attract a specific audience. However it could be argued, now especially in the contemporary world that there is a need to break free of restraints and boundaries in an act of coming up with something original yet still attracting the same targeted audience.

With my foundation portfolio thriller opening I stuck to a number of conventions as I thought that by doing this, it would make my targeted audience aware of the messages I intended on sending. I used the conventional use of the flashback via creating a scene with distinctively more grainy and dark colour that partially gave an insight into the history of my characters struggle. By using the flashback I copied the same techniques as successful films such as ‘Flight Plan’, and by doing this, it acted as a link of the thriller genre. My advanced portfolio music video differed as I decided to contradict some conventions that were present within a lot of music videos. I deliberately done this as I felt that contradicting rules would make my project more original in oppose to using techniques other producers have already used successfully. One convention I contradicted was the use of creating a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals; I noticed that the music I had selected was slightly distorted and if I was to create this relationship it would disrupt the viewing as it would make less sense. This shows how I used conventions to fit my ideas instead of working my ideas around conventions.

My foundation portfolio incorporated a lot of conventions that I used to form my ideas and narrative in oppose to my advanced portfolio where my ideas were formed initially. My thriller opening conformed to conventions such as a unreal situation disguised within a plausible setting, I created this via my opening location in which my character was doing her make-up in a clean, bright bathroom mirror, the plot unfolded in the later stages of the production as more complexity was presented. I think because of way I was able to use conventions to create my ideas in my AS production it amplifies the argument that working within constraints can produce the most interesting work, (Branston and Stafford.) I think that without the guidelines I researched about for my foundation portfolio I wouldn’t have been able to present my opening with features that would provoke a sense of tension, dismay and confusion which I wanted to give to my audience.

However my advanced portfolio incorporated less guidelines and I believe that it created even more impact with my audience. As referred to before with the contemporary world in which we live, audiences are now more then ever looking to find new trends, currently there is a desire to search for small, unsigned bands and follow them for as long as possible until they become famous! I think this idea of having something new fits in with my music video production as I have crossed over guidelines and created a hybrid that meets the demands of the new audience. The narrative – concept cross over was created by using elements of a constant running theme through the music video which was the handing out of love hearts by my character. I decided to add more depth into the character by adding some narrative elements and made my audience ask questions such as why the character feels the need to give out love hearts and what is she looking for. This was adapted through the use of a voice over and multiple locations yet still making reference to the initial concept. Anthony Storr stated that creativity was ‘bringing something new into existence’ and I believe that by using genre cross over via breaking from pre set guidelines, this was achievable.