Critical Reflection

• How do your products represent social groups or issues?

    My products represent social groups or issues in the main facet of representing the working class and those within lower economic standing. My main character is a tradesman, working as a mechanic both day and night. This mechanic, Logan, can barely make ends meet. He works constantly, having very little time for self-serving pleasurable exercises, and spends almost all time as a mechanic. This relative poverty is indicated in his home life, as we see him eating a breakfast of simply cheap snack food. He cannot afford food of actual substance, and instead only purchases cheap premade food. This is an early indication of his standing, representing the widespread issue of food deserts. These areas of poverty only give citizens access to less nutritious food (essentially gas station snacks) as their sole sustenance. I show this complex issue quite simply, as he scarfs down the Oreos in the beginning for breakfast. Another example of this issue being represented within myfilm was Logan pictured at the start of the film in school. This exhibits the common picture of a poorer student being forced to work long hours while also balancing an academic career. I intended to picture him as forced to juggle these two elements of his life, having to support his family and his own future at the same time. Among all these woes, I intended this film to center on the main issue of dreams being a way out of this situation. Logan has dreams of being bigger then his situation, and racing seems to be his way out. I made racing clearly take up a large portion of Logan's mind, showing how his so strongly set on this dream. This strong commitment indicated how he so strongly wanted to beat his situation, through many years of being less then fortunate. So, overall I represented the social group of the common working person, living from essentially paycheck paycheck. While additionally acknowledging that there is a solution and light at the end of the tunnel.

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

The elements of my production come together to create a sense of branding by having a consistent vision of a racing journey that intends to emotionally impactful. Each piece of the brand synergy becomes sown together into the idea of a thrilling racing movie that will grip you both in its action and it's emotional depth. This is the overall idea behind my marketing strategy. This strategy first shows itself on my postcard. Initially, you see the image of racecar, darting down a curve of the race track, moving at speeds you know are unimaginable. The right side (image is on the left) is a clean red background that includes a finish line flag. This side gives the appearance of  a modern movie, showing how we will have modern thrills and modern filmic maturity. In the postmodern area, audiences are more cognisant of the actual depths of films more so then ever before. This slick style indicates to audiences that this is a modern movie, with the actual depth that audiences have come to expect and hope for. It communicates that there is more beneath the surface, and that grey areas may come into play as well. Overall, this postcard gives audiences a safe bet with my movie, showing high levels of thrill and depth. My website more aggressively highlights the thrilling side of the film, highlighting several testimonials making this clear. They contain statements that imply a visceral, gripping your chair experience. They make it clear that you will be glued to your seat, and never able to tear your eyes away from the gripping action set pieces. Additionally, these statements contain albeit brief mentions of the depth in characters. This sliver of an indication gives audiences an idea that this movie will also emphasize the heart and depth of characters right next to it's emphasis of thrill and excitement. All in all, my branding creates a synergy of a film with intense thrills and emotional deepness. And racing's major landmarks and signatures tie it all together.

• How do your products engage with the audience?

My products engage with the audience by containing relatable themes of striving for dreams and the daily struggle. My film contains a blend of the realities of life that the common person faces, and an exciting push to attempt to capture your dreams. I kept it grounded in it's foundation, while also simulating the idea that anything is possible if you work for it. It is delicate balance of reality and absolute fantasy. This balance keeps the audience's suspension of disbelief in play, as they believe the relatable situation of being a working citizen, while also becoming enraptured by the relentless chase of one's dreams. These inherent emotional draws bring audiences in hooked for the starting pieces of the film. They become drawn to the story, and watch the initial relatable life of Logan. They see his daily motions and slowly see how deeply he cares for his dream. They begin to sympathize with him almost immediately, as the core human experience is clearly illustrated. After this beginning of emotional depth, we follow it with the second promised element, thrills. To see Logan's dream finally realized, is the ultimate payoff for the audience. It mimics the actual life of the audience, seeing work lead to eventual reward. This reward for Logan is finally racing, and it's reward for the audience is a thrilling action scene. This second part keeps audiences engaged through the traditional methods that thrillers employ. It intends to keep audiences on the edges of there seats by veering close to danger for the character. It allows the audience to believe that something could go wrong at any time. The constant narration keeps audiences updated through the whole experience, and pushes them more into nervousness. Finally, the film produces a final spectacle, in the crash ending the film. Audiences watch as they view a racer crash, as Logan breaks through the finish line and wins the day.

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

My research informed my products through a much more in-depth process then usual, and it easily helped us challenge conventions. Logan himself is actually a race-car driver, and all the racing footage within the short film is actually recorded from his experience. This gave me a visual look into the actual inner workings of racing, and allowed me to understand how this sport actually works. The first convention I broke was accessibility within racing. I was not aware previously that racing was as accessible as it is in reality. Formerly, I believed racing was really only able to be done through the official F1 or Nascar means. However, I learned that racing is much more accessible, and many hobby races occur at race tracks that do not cost an incredible amount. So, we broke the convention of believing that racing is extremely expensive by having it relatively achievable for someone in the working class. We broke the belief that racing is a sport purely for the rich, and that "lower-class" people can grasp it as well. So, my in-depth research indicated to me that racing was actually not too unachievable for someone in that class area. It made the film make much more narrative sense, and broke a convention widely-believed to be true.