Our film is a drama, therefore our final product incorporates several conventions the drama genre, Such as the use of a realistic setting, a relatable protagonist, and a theme based on real-life issues. Throughout the film our hard-of-hearing protagonist Debra represents the teenage social group as she is is introduced to Deaf culture for the first time.
Drama films generally aim to tell an honest story of human struggles. As Lexi and I are both students of ASL, or American Sign Language, it was especially important to both of us to not only showcase Debra’s struggle with her identity as a musician, but also the adversity that hard-of-hearing people may encounter in a hearing society. The film opening may not directly establish these concepts, however, they are implicit through the foreshadowing and build-up of the initial 2-minutes, which is typical within the drama genre.
Due to the wide range of drama films, the target audience may vary by sub-genre.
While our film does not quite fall into the categorization of any these subgenres, Lexi and I anticipate that our film will appeal to 15-21 year olds, as the protagonist, Debra, is a teenager and advances the entire plot through her perspective. This production also engages with audiences through the inclusion of a plot twist and a realistic struggle that viewers of the Deaf or hard of hearing community may be able to relate to. As a media text, we would choose to distribute our product through streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, as Lexi and I feel that this allows us to connect to our younger target audience, who frequent these sites more than any age group.
My production skills have advanced substantially throughout the making of Resonance. Prior to filming, I had little experience directing a production, other than the small projects that we had to complete in class. I definitely credit all of the AICE Media concepts and terminology we learned this year to the success of my production. With this knowledge, I was able to plan out my entire vision and apply techniques that I learned, and with the combination of Lexi’s help, we were able to make something that we are both proud of and tell a story that we felt needed to be told.
To film the production we used my Samsung NX mini camera which is portable, compact and provides crisper quality than our iPhones. I also demonstrated the integration of technology with my manipulation of the studio software GarageBand, which I used to record the film’s vocal and instrumental tracks.
During the editing phase, my partner Lexi and I collaborated to edit on iMovie, a film-editing software that we both agreed was easier to use than the online software WeVideo, which we had been introduced to in class. Additionally, one of the biggest aspects of this production was the creation of a 7-week blog documenting the whole process in detail. In my blog, I recorded the ups and the downs of film-making, and now I realize reflecting on the project’s every minor detail allowed me to grow as a media student and film-maker.