1. How do your products represent social groups or issues?
This product follows the story of a young woman that is
kicked out of her home after her mother finds out that she is a homosexual. In our
film we decided to touch on the topic of discrimination of sexuality and toxic
households. This product represents the LGBTQIA+ community and the discriminatory
issues they face specifically in their homes. Many members of said community
feel trapped inside themselves because of their inability to express themselves
in the outside world. Very few of those same people are accepted in their
homes. So, in this project we’ve decided to shed light on those who don’t have that
luxury of being accepted in their homes. Not being accepted in society is one
thing but not being accepted by your loved ones is a whole different pain. It’s
like these people have been boxed up their whole lives and when they finally
come out of that box, they get beaten back in with more bruises than before.
The purpose of this project was to convey the feelings of the unheard and telling
them that they’re not alone and that what they feel is real. Another message
directed to the group targeted is that even if people don’t accept you it’s important
that you accept yourself. I feel that with this product we represented the LGBTQIA+
community well by conveying messages that some may not have the courage to
personally do.
2. How do the elements of your production work together to
create a sense of ‘branding’?
The brand identity of this product is created by the use of
marketing through multiple social media platforms. In this day and age everyone
has at least one social media application. So therefore, the quickest and most
efficient way to get our product noticed and put out there is by social media.
This is a way to appeal to the audience by using common platforms to reach out.
Seeing our product on several different platforms gives the sense of branding
because the different platforms show seriousness. It shows seriousness from the
effort put out to get our brand recognized. Other elements came in to play to
create the sense of branding. The color scheme is a part that plays into
branding because if the color scheme is appealing to the audience that means
more people will be invested. The title even plays into branding. This generation
likes things that are pretty and aesthetically pleasing. So, if the title is
appealing to the ear it is easier to be spread around and receive more
attention. That is why we chose the name Elle et Elle because it is exotic, yet
delicate, appealing to the ear but still doesn’t stray away from the meaning of
the film. Lastly is the postcard that is visually appealing that portrays the main
idea and gives of the vibe of the movie just by looking at it.
3. How do your products engage with the audience?
The target audience that we are aiming for is people who are
interested in coming of age and romance films. The main audience is people in
the LGBTQIA+ who feel unheard and are afraid of the impressions of society.
Since it is a movie about teenagers the main target are teenagers or people
from ages fifteen to twenty-two. This project was meant to engage with an audience
that feels inferior to the societal image of what a person should be. It is also
meant to convey the feelings of the unheard. It is meant for this type of
audience because they need representation and validation of their feelings.
Another way that this product engages with the audience is sending the message
that even if people don’t accept you for you it’s more important that you
accept yourself. I feel that with this product we engaged with the LGBTQIA+
community by conveying messages that some may not have the courage to
personally do. The way we engaged with our audience is by being their voices in
a passive. The message wasn’t too explicitly shown but still there. I waned the
audience to feel comfort from this film because that was what people look for
in certain situations. We try to convey that feeling of comfort in the film with
acts of kindness by showing in the film that Rose is happiest with her partner.
4. How did your research inform your products and the way they
use or challenge conventions?
In media there are certain conventions that make up the film
depending on the genre of said film. Those things include camera angles, camera
movements, mis en scene, etc. In our film we used some conventions and we also
challenged some. Our research did help when making these decisions on which
conventions to use and not to use. Because our genre was coming of age the most
common locations would be maybe at school or at the mall, but we decided not to
use any of those kinds of locations. Since the problem stems from inside the
home it would make more sense to have the main location in a house. What we did
do was use a lot of sound elements used for a coming of age drama like voiceovers,
soundtrack, and dialogue. The way we chose the soundtrack was really just picking
which ever song went with the vibe of the scene. Although we didn’t use camera
movements because of the filming situation we made sure to incorporate some key
camera angles and shots that complement the genre such as a two-person shot or an
establishing shot. In our initial research we stated that some elements we like
about that genre in particular were things like the emotion, relatability, and
the romance. We incorporated the romance between Rose and Carmen. We also tried
to make it somewhat relatable to the audience. Overall those two elements came
together and showed us the emotion we were trying to express.
