Media Awards

Labrat

Review

In Labrat, the mise-en-scene has been used effectively to create a well rounded production piece. Before we first get a glimpse of the protagonist, we see tree branches and blades of grass. The protagonist is a young teenager, who sets up his camera and begins to narrate his story in front of the camera. His normal everyday urban clothing, allows the audience to identify with the character. At the beginning, in the first few shots, it is hard to identify where it is set. But, as it continues, the audience will be able to identify the setting as a school, creating narrative, as they will be able to make the link that the boy is a struggling student at the school. He changes his clothes once throughout the production, where he changes into a lab-coat and enters one of the labs in the school. This highlights that his intelligence and science is significant to the narrative which is emphasised through the use of chemistry equipment and substances. 

A wide range of cinematography has been used in the production, to make it a great finishing piece. The establishing shot in Labrat is unusual as it is a high angle medium close-up of a tree's branches, which doesn't reveal much about the main location, expect the fact that it is outdoors. Only a few of the branches are in focus. An extreme close up of blades of grass blowing in the wind is then used before cutting to a medium close-up of the protagonist's hand, holding a camera inside a room. The medium shot of the character cleverly indicates that he is recording himself and talking to a camera. This also allows the audience to clearly to depict the character's emotion without making the connection too deep. The angle is neither high nor low, which suggests that he is neither powerful nor vulnerable, and just a normal human being, allowing the audience to connect with him on an emotional level. Extreme close-ups of the chemistry equipment towards the end of the production indicates their importance to the narrative. 

A range of transitions are used at the appropriate times in the piece, however, the most commonly used cut were straight cuts. These are simple and effective in showing the simplicity in pieces. A dissolve is used after the teenager first addresses the camera, emphasising the serious nature of the show's content and that the genre is a drama. However, the dissolve was specifically used to indicate the character's re-telling of the story, and that the scene after was a flashback as he narrated. Four more dissolves are used not shortly after this and not far between each other to indicate a passing of time yet, he is still narrating a flashback. It cuts to a scene of the character walking into a lab in the school. Match on action is used often during the production, to make the narrative and action flow easily. The use of continuity editing, between shots of the character and the setting of the school, allows the audience to make the narrative connection that he is a student at the school, which, essentially, makes the narrative flow better. At the beginning, the pace is slow and relaxed as the gaps between transitions are quite long. However, as it continues, the pace gradually begins to gain speed as transitions are used more often to emphasise the action and drama in scenes as it escalates. It then fades to black, adding tension to the character's dialogue. After this, a fast paced sequence of shots of chemical equipment props, which, in a way, is like a montage and shows a passing of time between his actions and his experimentation with chemical substances. 

The Experiment

Review

The first thing that catches the audiences eye is the background information intro of the production, which depicts a dystopia. The figure of a teenage girl can be seen looking through a list of names, one of which is hers. Her face is not revealed in this shot, adding mystery and drama to her character. Pictures and papers are pinned with strings around the list of names, showing that someone is looking for her and her whereabouts are being traced. Low-key lighting is used here, and almost throughout most of the production, which creates tension and drama. The girl is then seen entering a train station, shown on CCTV. She then stands in front of a train, her hair blowing as it passes, creating a dramatic and almost sorrow atmosphere. The use of a deserted house at night, which we can assume was hers, emphasises how alone the protagonist is and how devastated the events leading up to the programme left her. The audience can assume that she is searching through the house with the hand held. This in a way, is trying to provoke an emotional response from the audience, as they will understand the character is faced with so many good memories she can never have back. In the next scene, the girl is seen running away from something and with a serious expression across her face, which indicates she is on the run and creates an atmosphere of action and drama. It cuts to a shot of the character looking through old photographs, provoking sympathy for the character as she wipes her eyes of tears. Old videos of friends depict happy memories they have shared together, indicating the fact that she is contemplating them which upsets her, allowing the audience to feel sad for the character. As the girl runs, the figure of a man in black stops in front of her. His black attire indicates that his intentions are sinister and is one of the people after her. The man eventually catches up with the girl after a short chase, and grabs her, before the production finishes, indicating that he caught her but it still leaves it at a cliff hanger.