Final Critical reflection

Hi blog!! This is such a bittersweet moment, I’ve been curating this blog for two years now and this is my final blog. I hope you guys enjoyed my film and for the grand closing, here is my critical reflection. This has been an incredible journey!!

Critical reflection:

• How do your products represent social groups or issues?

       Our film, ‘I MANGIA MERDE E MORTE’ represents what many find as entertainment but in reality is a serious issue. Recurring in different parts of the world mostly dominating a variety of European countries. The term ‘mafia’ represents any organized criminal group/organization that resembles the original Sicilian Mafia which would sell protection and arbitration services. The mafia’s basic unit, however, remains to be “family” , leading them to control a specific territory like a neighborhood or town. In our film we represent two mafia organizations fighting for the murder of Bianca Russo’s brother and the orchestrated plan to get blood for blood. We represent a variety of issues with these fights and the amount of people that are necessary to get involved. Inherently a Mafia empire often leads to many psychological effects, for example the loss of the ability to form their own identity growing up since they are forced to adhere to family thinking. Those who grow up around a mafia environment are not allowed the same personal cognitive development since they are forced to conform with the morals and still of life. Another representation within our film is the Italian mafia violence conflict that has progressed over the years. Currently, violence is now used in a much more strategic and less visible way, rather than a bloody and suspicious muerdens, the modern mafias intimidate with crimes that are less likely to be reported to the police. The Italian Mafia also actively intervenes with violence to gain control over territories and further expand its political violence which is assumed to be connected to assassinations of and attacks on Italian politicians that significantly increase before and after elections. By also controlling political decisions, the mafia also uses its power to control illicit trade, claim ill-gotten gains from economic actors and control private economic activities.

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

      The branding of a film is one of several important concepts in marketing a product. Marketing helps a small business (or film company in our case), involving the interactive communication process between a company and its consumers. In our case, it means the influence of a watcher seeing any type of promotion or post regarding our film. They can notice the color theme or the font style which will be used in the entire work product just like we’ve done. In order to create a sense of branding, I first researched the tools needed for a postcard and website to tie everything together for my final film ‘I MANGIA MERDE E MORTE’. Through my research I learned about different styles, fonts and titles for my specific genre. I found one that I liked and decided to make it “our brand”. We tried to set a type of brand identity by using different types of visual elements as well as specific sounds. We used a dark aesthetic for our film and website to make a mark. For example, our website has a black background with a white and red signature font colors. As for our postcard, we used a pictures of our film and maintained the dark aesthetic still making it unique to us by the desired color pallet to be a darker blue with white letters in order for it to be easier on the consumer. Our film also portrayed our brand by using dark red colors to create the mysterious effect while being consistent with our original film.Our actual recording included a dark lighting as well as “mafia attire” influencing our brand to mark our branding itself. We also used our slogan by using an Italian phrase ‘I Mangia Merde e Morte’ which is what many Italians have marked as a mafia phrase that many say when they have defeated their enemies. We used this to emphasize the Italian Mafia and the true hatred between the two different families and the defeat of Tony Montana.

• How do your products engage with the audience?

      While in the planning of the creation of our film, the first thing we did as a team was to establish the different forms to engage our audience and those around us to create an interesting film as well as other outlets to make it accessible and entertaining. We used different websites and asked our friends what they would like to see. This lead us to the conclusion to have an interesting plot, make an interactive website as a way to lure people into being more drawn to click on our link and watch our products. We also used social media for people to engage with our products since people (mostly teenagers are chronologically online all the time. For this, I opened a variety of social medias to create a wider net of engagement, ensuring our films presence was felt across platforms. We wanted to move beyond passive viewership, encouraging viewers to actively participate and feel deeply invested in the unfolding story. We considered the power of online challenges and user-generated content, thinking of ways to inspire our audience to create their own interpretations and extensions of our film's universe. We wanted to build a sense of anticipation and excitement, releasing teasers and snippets strategically to keep the buzz alive. We envisioned a dynamic online presence, where our film would spark conversations and connections, creating a lasting impact beyond the screen. We aimed to craft a multi-layered experience, where each social media platform offered unique content and opportunities for engagement, from short, shareable clips on Facebook to in-depth character analyses on Instagram. We prioritized authenticity and transparency, sharing our creative process and inviting feedback from our audience. We wanted to build a genuine connection, making our viewers feel like valued collaborators in the journey of our film.

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

           My research process, acting as a kind of detective work itself, profoundly influenced the creation of our film, website, and postcard, and how they interacted with established mystery conventions. We began by meticulously analyzing classic mystery films, identifying recurring tropes like red herrings, unreliable narrators, and clue-driven plots, but recognized the risk of predictability. To counteract this, we expanded our investigation into interactive digital media, drawing inspiration from video games and online puzzles, leading us to design our website as an interactive crime scene where viewers could actively participate in the investigation, subverting passive observation. Furthermore, we delved into contemporary psychological thrillers, noting their emphasis on complex characters and moral ambiguity, which influenced our creation of characters with hidden agendas and nuanced motivations, moving away from simplistic archetypes. The postcard, a physical clue, was strategically designed to direct audiences to the digital labyrinth of our website, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. We challenged the "reveal" convention by opting for an ambiguous ending, leaving some questions unanswered and encouraging viewers to continue their investigation online. We also aimed to avoid the classic "detective solves all" trope. Instead, we made the audience the detective, empowering them to piece together the truth through their own investigation. By strategically employing these elements, we aimed to create a dynamic mystery experience that both honored and challenged genre conventions, transforming viewers into active detectives and fostering a more immersive and engaging experience.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dJXWJJKVadeOBla6EctiGtU9VdpPRJrpp6yG1nuyJzw/edit