Critical Reflection Of Our Film

1. 1. How do your products represent social groups or issues? 

Our film isn't really just a film, it's a showing of real life, showing the idea that a small mistake that one might not think about can destroy real lives. In the movie I play Tom, a businessman, a husband, and a father who was just driving home from the office thinking I was going to see my family, only to have everything go terribly wrong in a matter of seconds. On the other hand, you have Ben, a teenager leaving a party under the influence of alcohol and making a choice he thought was fine, until it really wasn’t. Our film highlights the awful effects that come with drunk driving. 

Not only is it about the victim, but it's also about the offender. I am playing the typical working man, who likely believes he will be safe, and never considers that someone else's reckless decision will ruin everything with nothing he can do to change the outcome. My family symbolizes the thousands of loved ones who get that terrible phone call after an accident, who are left to mourn, and become angry. Ben is the showing of the mistakes people make when they are young, thinking they can’t be hurt in any way, and learning the hard way that one's actions have consequences. He is not painted as a completely bad guy, as in real life, these situations are not always black and white. 

He's a teenager who made a wrong choice, and now he's facing potentially spending the rest of his life behind bars. The film doesn’t hide these real-life events, it forces the audience to see them, and to feel the weight of the choices made that night. we also fit these themes into our poster and website. The website is a visual representation of the feelings of the movie, with the trailer in it. whether it be the flashing red and blue of police lights, or the insinuated aftermath. 

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

When we first started working on this film, we saw that we wanted to make something that would have a real impact on the people who watched it. Everything had to have a certain unity. From the first time someone sees our poster to the first time they visit our site or view the first several frames of our film, the branding is saying that this is a dramatic, emotional, and intelligent narrative. 

In terms of visuals, we darkened and intensified in color scheme to give more of a somber mood. The film's lighting is also dramatic, contrasting between the sadness of life before the crash and the wreckage that ensues. The poster does the same by drawing attention to the most important things in such a wreckage. 

The site itself has the same visual look and feel as the rest, engaging the user as an addition to the film. We took great care to make sure that nothing is out of place with what film tries to convey. The trailer is using the film's central themes to continue the purpose of the film. 

Even our music and sound design contribute to this branding. We play very contrasting music to each person, calming for me and loud and reckless for Ben. In key scenes, silence is just as powerful as sound, letting the power of the moment sink in. If you’ve seen the trailer or visited our website, you’ve likely heard snippets of this, tying everything together and creating an emotional feeling that runs through the entire project. 

3. 3. How do your products engage with the audience? 

We didn't just want folks to watch this movie we wanted them to feel it, to talk about it, to reflect on their own choices or what was occurring in others' lives. And so, interaction was very important to us, both in the film itself and how we marketed it. The story is told in a way that puts the audience in both perspectives, mine as the victim and Ben’s as the one responsible. The film is a deep dive into human emotion after these traumatic events. The audience sees my family struggle with the uncertainty of whether I’ll survive. They see Ben sitting receiving his possible sentence, realizing the weight of what he’s done. These are uncomfortable moments because that is what is necessary the discomfort creates the message and makes it linger. 

Our poster is our entrance to engagement with the audience. One image can convey so much, and we made sure ours shows the tension, the tragedy, and the harsh reality of the situation. Whether it's the crash wreckage, the strobing police lights, or the faces of the victims, the poster is designed to bring people and make them think. 

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

We knew that if we were to do this movie, we had to do it right. That also meant learning how real accidents effect everyone who is involved, including the injured, drunk driver, family, and friends, as they are all effected by the events in a car crash. 

One of the most wonderful things we discovered from our research is that movies such as this are not so black-and-white as they seem at first. Old crime-and-punishment films would either take the pain of the victim's or the regret of the criminals. Life is not always black and white. This is why we made the decision to depict both sides, to show people what happens to my family but what also happens to Ben. 

Our research didn't just show in the film, it was used in the poster and website too. Instead of only focusing on the crash, we showed the aftermath, as well as the human side of the story. By going against conventions and basing everything on reality, we created something that not only entertains, but shows people real world events, and hopefully causes people to think twice before they make a decision that can change lives forever.