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Janet Adebiyi-Ojo
Evaluation
For my A2 Film Studies portfolio, I produced a five-minute film
sequence called Mirrors the purpose of this was to reflect my
thesis - the representation of black women has changed in
contemporary film, focusing particularly on the 1970s to present
day. The objective of this was to illustrate how social and political
factors in particular have
influenced the portrayal of
women in comparison to
males. During my research for
my essay, it was interesting to
discover that black female
characters
were
heavily
undermined
and
underrepresented
in
the
media. They were often negatively stereotyped, for example they
were portrayed as single mothers or sexual objects for the male
characters. Theorist Laura Mulvey wrote about how female
characters in films are usually served as a visual pleasure, which is
the case for the female characters I have studied in the films I chose
to analyse. The female characters were heavily sexualised in
revealing outfits and the male characters were captivated by their
sexual attraction.

The decision to give my film production the title Mirrors came from
the idea that the female protagonist reflects on her adolescence
when she discovers a diary
that she kept years back
and has vivid memories of
the struggles she overcame
as she reads through it. The
title may not be clear to the
audience at first, but as the
film progresses from the
beginning to the end, the
choice of the title becomes
justifiable. One of the
common themes I was able to identify in the films that I analysed in
my extended piece of writing is that in most cases, the black
females do not let their current situations affect their future
decisions. I believe I emulated this theme well in my final production
as I showed how despite the main character reminiscing on all the
negative things that had happened to her, she was still able to
continue with what she needed to do, and didnt allow those things
to hold her down.
It was important that I included similar type of characters in relation
to the films I analysed (Precious, Mandingo, Set It Off, For Colored
Girls and Why Did I Get Married), thus aspects such as mise-enscene, editing, sound and cinematography were vital to the overall
success of my final production. By studying these films and the
portrayal of the female characters, I conjured up the common traits
and personality for the female protagonist of my film. In relation to
my research, I feel I was able to convey the themes and messages in
films that focus on the different types of black females and how they
affected the work of modern day directors in a clear manner, whilst
showing great understanding.
My portfolio also consisted of a number of other planning
requirements. I produced a location report, which contained images
and descriptions of desired locations and an analysis of the
suitability for my short film. My final decision to use a modern house
as the prime location was because I wanted the protagonist to be
able to use the different locations in the house when displaying the
narrative and it also had a lot of space, which allowed me to be

more creative with cinematography and mise-en-scene. Also, I

created a written script, a location report, a health and safety report,
a storyboard, a shot list, a synopsis, character profiles for the
characters I had in the production and evidence of casting
considerations. The shot list consisted of a list of all the different
shots I intended to use in my film.
Through doing this, it made my
filming experience more efficient and
saved a lot of time. The use of a shot
list also allowed me to adjust and/or
add shots during the filming process
as I felt that some shots would be
better suited to other things. This
planning and research helped me
with organisation of what I needed to
do, and it also ensured that my final
creative artefact was the best it
could be, delivering messages and
values to the audience in particular
through a monologue.
My target audience was black
females, particularly the older generation of teenagers and females
in their early 20s, and this is because the main character in my film
was a black female aged 24 whilst my subject of thesis and choice of
films were more relatable to the female audience. Seeing as the
audience were aligned with Isabella for most of the narrative, they
were able to relate and understand her thoughts and feelings. My
intentions were for the audience to create an emotional attachment
towards the character without feeling sorry for her.
In my creative artefact, I included Todorovs narrative theory of
Equilibrium and Disequilibrium. The five stages include a) a state of
equilibrium, b) a disruption, c) recognition of disruption, d) an
attempt to repair the damage caused by the disruption and e) a
restoration of a new equilibrium at the end of the narrative. I was
able to keep the audience informed and engaged with the storyline,
where I attempted to show how the representation of black women
has and still is changing in modern day film and media. I used a
variety of shots to show how the diary was a significant icon within
my film. The diary was used to show what actually caused the

disruption of events (when Isabella discovered it again after so long

and it caused her to create vivid memories) but at the same time it
also represented the restoration of a new equilibrium (when Isabella
makes the decision to let go of the diary and throw it away).
Throughout the process of filming my short film, it was important
that I included shots that
had an impact on the
overall
meaning
I
intended to convey to the
audience. I also used a
number of close-up shots
particularly when the
main
character
was
showing emotions so the
audience would be able
to fully understand what
is happening and relate to the scene.
In conclusion, the ideas gathered from my research has made the
process of constructing my first 5 minute film a worthwhile and
enjoyable experience, given me a greater understanding of the
beginning process to the final completion of a film. This is because I
was able to recognise a number of different conventions and styles
used from my research, which I then included into my own
production. Overall, I felt I was able to critically evaluate my creative
artefact well, as I was able to reach the goal of creating a short film
based on the thesis of my textual analysis and research gathered.