CREATIVE CRITICAL REFLECTION 1

HOW MY PRODUCT USES OR/AND CHALLENGES CONVENTIONS

SCRIPT:

• The film opens with the BBFC age-rating which classifies the film as a 15, as the subject material contains strong threat and mild violence
• The lights that appear behind the Mirror Studios production logo help to link it to the film's topic. 
• A striking of a match interrupts the darkness that preceded beforehand, the use of candles creating the desired Mise-en-scène of a world deprived of energy. 
• The first credits are displayed, stating the writers and directors. 
• The camera zooms closer to newspapers laid out and outlined with candles, which inform the reader of the pressing situation the world faces. 
• A wide angle shot presents the character at work, whilst various close up shots hint at his struggle to succeed. 
• A more upbeat soundtrack follows, which grows gradually and hints at the character's success. 
• The slow zoom towards the sheet of equations highlights its importance and hints the recurring theme of the film. 
• The actor's credits are displayed during their screen time, allowing audiences to make a link between the two. 
• The two-person shot introduces the audience to the relationship between the two characters. The new character facing in the opposite direction from the main character, to symbolise trouble is about to follow. 
• The introduction to tense and dramatic music illustrates that misfortune is about to befall the main character. 
• A series of hard cuts help to build tension, whilst the red light upon the sheet of equations symbolise something is wrong. 
• The Dutch angle creates feeling of unease, whilst the shallow depth of field partially obscures the audience from the action before the scene is cut short to create a cliff-hanger.
• Like all good film openings an enigma and cliff-hanger is created to hook the reader, as the scene suggests the destruction or theft of the codes. 
• The title background is littered with equations, which help to portray the films theme, whilst the red colouring hints at the twist. 

HOW MY PRODUCT REPRESENTS SOCIAL GROUPS AND ISSUES

CHAIN REACTION takes place during a period in which humanity is plunged into darkness due to a lack of energy. Only the extreme wealthy can afford the last remains of energy whilst everyone else suffers. However, a young scientist strives to change this and finds a way to solve the problem. He goes to meet an old wealthy friend to ask for funding and leaves the equations with him. However, the wealthy friend seems to have different ideas and the young scientist finds himself upon 'rough ground'. 

In our film, the main character is a young scientist who is presented as a positive figure. This is visually illustrated by how the candles illuminate the character outline. Moreover, the darkness surrounding him acts as a reminder of how pressing humanities situation and what he is trying to rid, as well as highlighting the scale of this challenge. The young scientist is a character working against opposition and the darkness around him. He is also, in a stereotypical fashion, presented as a solitary genius, working on pen and paper, which make the odds feel stacked against him. His sense of struggle and puzzle is apparent, whilst his act of working through the night evoke feelings of heroism as well as tropes of a medieval scholar or monk. Overall, the scientist is given respectful treatment as the camera is often close up and lingers mostly upon him. 

Our film also sees a contrasting character to that of the young scientist, who acts in a measured and covert way. His face is never fully shown and he does not make eye-contact, which creates feelings of mistrust. Once he acquires the folds it slowly which feels menacing and unfriendly. Moreover, the close up of the paper being torn hints at the destruction of an outcome or misfortunate events will concur. The feeling that the young scientist may fall upon murky waters is created from how the two characters interact.

The sheet of equations presents, in a stereotypical way, intelligence and are often seen in films such as 'The Theory of Everything' which is about Stephen Hawking.