CR

 How do your products represent social groups or issues? 

Our short film focuses on some of the issues that high school students face. In this case, Macie, the new girl, attends yet another new school because of her Dads job. Being "the new kid" is difficult enough on its own, but Courtney makes Macie's first few days at school even more difficult. Courtney is envious that her crush, Jacob, prefers Macie over her. This causes fued in the teens and creates drama which is common in high school social groups. Courtney does something that is common in High School and teenage social groups which she sends out an embarassing photo of macie to the whole school. This, however, reveals to Jacob what kind of person Courtney truly is. Courtney decides she needs to apologize and make amends for what she has done to Macie. The short film captures some of the emotions that many teenagers and high school students experience. Whether it's anxiety, jealousy, or embarrassment, my short film captures all of the emotions that the characters experience. Many highschoolers become insecure with themselves, causing them to make certain decisions and actions that they would not normally make. This exemplifies how high schoolers are highly emotional and constantly concerned with what others think, which can lead to them acting out without considering the consequences. These actions frequently cause harm to many of the people we care about. Our short film depicts many of the issues that high school students face, as well as the consequences of acting out due to jealousy and just insecurities in general. Which connects to our audience that is high school students and young adults. 

 
• How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’? 

I always enjoy watching a video or reading a story that expresses something I have personally experienced or can relate to. Focusing on a topic that many people can relate to can encourage more people to watch. A few factors contribute to the creation of a sense of "branding." Something I like about our short film is that it focuses on an issue to which many people, particularly children my age, can relate. Our website is another component. Our website shows the main points of our film. It contains images from the short film, information about it, and even reviews and awards that it has received. This is an effective method of increasing interest in the film. My group member made certain that the website's color scheme was bright and playful, and that the font was somewhat creative. We wanted the font to look like handwriting so that it could relate to the school-related topic. Our postcard is another example of branding. This postcard contains images from our short film, as well as information about it, the cast and crew, and the release date. Our postcard is very girly, which I believe helps to focus on the plot of our film. All of the social media platforms that the short film uses are listed on both the post card and the website. The social media platforms also post information and images about our film to pique the interest of viewers. Social media is a good way to reach out to your audience and connect with them. 

 

 
• How do your products engage with the audience? 

The postcard will draw the attention of everyone who comes across it because it also includes images from our short film along with a synopsis of the plot. The primary subject matter of New Girl centers on some of the unique experiences or feelings that many high school students go through. The way we are promoting our short film, whether it be through our website, postcard, or social media, they provide hints about the plot without giving away any important aspects, which will pique the interest of the audience in what happens. The products appeal to the audience since they both support certain aspects of our movie. For instance, we share various movie clips from our film on our Instagram profile to give fans a sneak peek at what happens in the plot. One of the images we've shared depicts a blurry photo on a phone that one of the movie's protagonists is carrying. This image can pique the interest of the audience in her film because they will be curious as to what the image represented and what actually occurred. This causes suspense in our audience making them want more and engaging them. The website we developed features a wide range of elements that explain to the public what our movie is about. It contains information about the film's showing locations and prize wins. 

 

• How did your research inform your products and the way they use or challenge conventions? 

Costumes are a staple in any film, they create a character and brings their persona to life. The costumes in our film represent our characters personalities. My crew made sure to adhere to the normal conventions that are typically present in films that are comparable to the one we created or center around the same topic when developing the idea for a movie. Through the costumes in our short film, we were able to demonstrate this in one particular way. In order to obtain an idea of how the characters in our film should appear, we wanted to look at examples of other films or movies that take place at a high school before we began the filming process. Camille made sure to dress as a mean girl because she was playing the "mean girl" in the movie. In other films, most mean girls often wear pink outfits, whether it be a shirt, dress, skirt, etc. I made sure to dress nerdy style while Camille dressed like a mean girl with Hot Pink colors. Another way we used conventions was through our postcard. Our post card is bright pink with playful fonts and shapes throughout. When making the postcard I  made sure to use bright colors to represent boldness of our card which makes it able to attract more attention, and also let the audience get an idea of the theme of our film. For example, since it is brighter and more playful colors, and lets the audience know that it would most likely not be a thriller or horror movie.