Genre Group Activity - Self Assessment

1. During the double lesson on Friday Sept 21 we had to get into groups and plan a film scene around a genre Miss Connell assigned to us. Our group was assigned the genre of Drama. We had to firstly figure out how to adapt the existing story into something that was suitable for our genre. We came up with the idea of the main character (Charlie) had just broken up with her boyfriend and she needs someone to console in but her best friend and mother seem to be too busy for her and her problems so she goes into a mental breakdown and ends up committing suicide in the end. This suited the Drama genre because some of the target audience which is girls 15+ would be able to relate to this idea.

2.  We filled out a conventions chart and came up with the following conventions:

CONVENTION	EXAMPLE FROM FILM	How we applied this convention (re-inforcing)	How we applied this convention (challenging)
Friendship	Blindside, Mean Girls, Freedom Writers		Loses a friend rather than making one
Conflict	Kidulthood, Adulthood, Mean Girls, Taken	Conflict with herself, feels useless and unwanted
A Moral	Freedom Writers, The Help
Main character faces a challenge	The Pursuit of Happiness, Adulthood
Teenage Life	Mean Girls, Kidulthood
Evokes Emotion	My Sister's Keeper, The Pursuit of Happiness	Main character feels neglected and alone
Problems	Freedom Writers, Blindside, The Help

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    3.   Our main character represents a posh typical American girl that is cheerleader and blonde we presented her in this way because this is how most girls are presented in Drama genre movies.

    4.      Her body language and facial expression in the first scene is quite guarded and upset because she had just had an argument with her boyfriend over the phone and her best friend had not made any time for her.

    5.      Her costume would be a comfy clothes e.g tracksuit and her hair is in a messy bun this connotes comfortableness and the idea that she has probably been indoors all day. This is her costume because the character is at home.It relates to the stereotype of the typical teenager at home because it reinforces the idea that teenage girls like to be comfortable when at home

    6.      The setting is her bedroom which is a bright colour whereas the stairway is quite dark with no lighting this setting connotes that the stairway isn't a significant background however the bedroom of the main character (Charlie), is important as the bedroom's furniture and accessories for example posters, teddybears etc highlights the type of character the main character is this relates to the genre because there is a sense of emotion behind it, as it is her room so there would be things there that she would possibly have an emotional connection to, such as childhood toys etc

    7.     She is stereotypical because she felt neglected by her family and friend. This relates to the conventions of the genre because most Drama films revolve around the family and friends.

    8.    We tried to re-inforce the representations of the character because the audience will be able to recognise the genre

    9.   SELF ASSESSMENT  (rate yourself with level 1, level 2, level 3 or level 4)

a.   I worked well with my group  Level 3      

b.   I contributed well to the group task Level 3      

c.   I was confident in my understanding of what I was being asked to do Level 3    

d.   I have confidence I understand genre Level 3   

e.   I have confidence I understand conventions Level 3

f.    I was creative Level 2

g.   I was good at remember to apply appropriate conventions to the idea Level 4

h.   I can write a script Level 4

i.    I can make a storyboard Level 2

j.    Other things that went well were I understood the different conventions used in the drama genre.

k.    To improve I could have challeged more conventions rather than re inforce them and  I could have been quicker with the work in class

l.     Overall I would give myself a level 3.

m.   Overall I would give myself a grade C.