#29: Challenging conventions
A psychological drama and all the conventions that are associated with this genre.
.jpg)
💡 Conventions that did exist in my media product
Then these characters, they somehow did fit into certain archetypes in teen drama. We see, as in multiple media products, when teenagers' lives are portrayed to be very much influenced by friends, some to the point of manipulation, as featured in many films when there are 'toxic friendships' everywhere. It explains why that "friend" character has a big impact on my storyline, and she was also the beginning point for the character development of our protagonist.
-> These conventions are not a bad thing, they make sense, since at some points, they are social norms. The use of it brings that character more like a 'normal teen' from the eyes of the audience, more believable and realistic, as some would say.
💡 A context-based analytical look at the character (trigger: this analysis is from some specific details in the opening scene) and the intentions of me behind certain things.
I intently don't want the character to comfort her friend in the last flashback scene as in our original script, to show that there is a cold side to the main character. In a sense, she knows that something is wrong, but at the same time, she has tried to ignore it, by doing nothing. She doesn't want to get deeper into that, for her, it is just a moment of privacy for her friend and she thinks it's better if she doesn't stick her nose in.
It is kind of a 'selfish' thought when she is sort of making excuses for her lack of effort. It represents a certain type of person that doesn't want to include themselves in others' issues, even of the people that are close to them. It doesn't mean she's a bad person, just quite apathetic. One of the motives behind that was also her avoidance of closeness or of intimacy, which many introverts would very relate to.
There are plenty of conventional themes and topics that typically tie into psychological drama, for example, mental illness, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or depictions of dysfunctional relationships,...
Often considered to be conveying a "drama-like" mood technical codes also be used such as low lighting or a dull, dark colour palette, to establish a 'serious' or maybe 'sad' tone.
I won't try to sweep away all the conventions nor try to follow them. I think that it's better to take a balanced approach, cause to an extent, conventions are required to make the product still seem to be connected to the real world, but not a piece of escapist art. I wouldn't say it was that conventional either, it's just not insane to a point, like using a sweet pink colour palette or having hot dog fingers...
.jpg)
(intertextual references: Everything Everywhere All At Once 😁)
The topic/ theme that we dived into was very much familiar in the drama genre. Listing out those that were referred to, like... the original idea of characters traumatized by the past? Is it conventional? Tick ✔️. Death and mysterious events? Tick ✔️. Mental issues? Tick again✔️.
Additionally, in our media product, we also include some technical codes commonly used in this genre. First, by using sad instrumental scores throughout the film, which are to enhance the overall mood of the scene. They are also one of our attempts to replicate one scene from 'Better Days (2019)' included in our mood board when non-diegetic sound is used to emphasize the silence of the characters, heightening the rawness and authenticity of the scene.
Low lighting and the desaturated colour palette can also be seen, they intended to bring out a nostalgic feeling, especially in the flashback scene, when the rusty and blurry look did add to it some faint indication of the past, of memories.
Most of the editing is continuity, combined with the use of montage, and flashbacks, creating a cohesive visual narrative, which possibly deepens the emotional weight on specific audiences.
Close-up handheld shots were used to emphasize the character's facial expressions, and their emotions, and also as a strategy to develop a sense of intimacy, as in many other dramas. For example, in the 'Normal People' BBC tv show, they were constantly used to feature the characters' scenes of mental breakdown, making them look more vulnerable, strengthening the link of sympathy from audiences to these fictional characters.
Additionally, in our media product, we also include some technical codes commonly used in this genre. First, by using sad instrumental scores throughout the film, which are to enhance the overall mood of the scene. They are also one of our attempts to replicate one scene from 'Better Days (2019)' included in our mood board when non-diegetic sound is used to emphasize the silence of the characters, heightening the rawness and authenticity of the scene.
Low lighting and the desaturated colour palette can also be seen, they intended to bring out a nostalgic feeling, especially in the flashback scene, when the rusty and blurry look did add to it some faint indication of the past, of memories.
Most of the editing is continuity, combined with the use of montage, and flashbacks, creating a cohesive visual narrative, which possibly deepens the emotional weight on specific audiences.
Close-up handheld shots were used to emphasize the character's facial expressions, and their emotions, and also as a strategy to develop a sense of intimacy, as in many other dramas. For example, in the 'Normal People' BBC tv show, they were constantly used to feature the characters' scenes of mental breakdown, making them look more vulnerable, strengthening the link of sympathy from audiences to these fictional characters.
Extract from the scene during Connel's therapy session - Normal People, when many close-up shots was used to show him as this fragile, broken soul
Brilliant performance from the recent 2023 Oscar nominee, Paul Mescal :)
Brilliant performance from the recent 2023 Oscar nominee, Paul Mescal :)
-> These conventions are not a bad thing, they make sense, since at some points, they are social norms. The use of it brings that character more like a 'normal teen' from the eyes of the audience, more believable and realistic, as some would say.
Yet are sometimes overused.
This leads us to...
This leads us to...
...to the "don't" side
Basically, I honestly hate every fake, hypocritical conventional depiction of teenagers that dominates this media world... namely Netflix with tv shows that features a bunch of high-schoolers, all seem to be in their mid-30s with illogical actions I'm never able to sympathize with. It's like they trying to create a framework for a normal teenager to fit into, but that "so-called high school life" of theirs was certainly very far from mine.
It's our human nature to avoid what we hate:> So changing the characters would actually be my entry point for challenging conventions. Freaks, nerds, weirdos or what...I want to give my characters a more uncommon, dynamic personality.
It's our human nature to avoid what we hate:> So changing the characters would actually be my entry point for challenging conventions. Freaks, nerds, weirdos or what...I want to give my characters a more uncommon, dynamic personality.
💡 A context-based analytical look at the character (trigger: this analysis is from some specific details in the opening scene) and the intentions of me behind certain things.
I intently don't want the character to comfort her friend in the last flashback scene as in our original script, to show that there is a cold side to the main character. In a sense, she knows that something is wrong, but at the same time, she has tried to ignore it, by doing nothing. She doesn't want to get deeper into that, for her, it is just a moment of privacy for her friend and she thinks it's better if she doesn't stick her nose in.
It is kind of a 'selfish' thought when she is sort of making excuses for her lack of effort. It represents a certain type of person that doesn't want to include themselves in others' issues, even of the people that are close to them. It doesn't mean she's a bad person, just quite apathetic. One of the motives behind that was also her avoidance of closeness or of intimacy, which many introverts would very relate to.
Comments
Post a Comment