CCR Research

 CCR Research: Question #1

Question #1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?

    The main genre I want to focus on when answering this question is the coming of age genre. To quote myself from an earlier blog post:

"Coming of age sees the psychological and moral growth of characters from childhood to adulthood. Coming of age films tend to imply a heavy focus on drama, relying on dialogue as opposed to action to illustrate this growth. While the genre is common in teen films, a more mature approach can be taken to the genre."

    Most coming of age films will see the positive psychological and moral growth of their protagonists. However, our film intends to challenge these conventions, essentially flipping the genre on its head. They Lay in a Pool of Blood That Is Not Their Own! follows a protagonist, Belle, interacting with her father, peers, and religious community. However, over time these interactions only build to create a negative, distorted outlook on life and those around her, which in turn leads to her self-exaltation, the harm of those around her, and eventually her self-destruction.

    The film will tackle social issues regarding religion, specifically focusing on ideas of morality and community, in a representation of a Christian community. What do I mean by this?

    Morality is a big issue when discussing religion, as many point towards religion as containing the moral standards required to function in society. However, those who are not religious argue it is entirely possible to have good morals, and in some cases, better morals than religious folks. Our film sees a Christian community's morals in action, and how it affects the individuals within the community.

    Religious communities are also commonly seen as wholly positive. But what happens when a community takes their practices too far? What happens when everything, even ones own actions, is attributed to God and not to oneself? A loss of identity. Feelings of guilt. A questioning of faith. There are many more possible outcomes.

    While tackling these issues, the film also points towards the necessity for religion. The destruction that can occur if one has nothing to live for. For Christians, even if all fails and there is nothing tangible left to live for, one can always look towards Christ as a driving force to keep living. The idea of eternal life in the Kingdom of God leads many Christians to act in their righteous ways. However, when one does not have this, or when one loses this, what happens? Our film explores this question.

    I would like to assert that this film is not an attack on religion by any means. It is purely a discussion on the philosophy and psychology of religion from the perspective of creators who grew up non-religious. Personally, it is also a view into many of the questions that occupy my mind. As someone who has never believed in God, and will most likely never be able to believe in God, will I never be able to experience the benefits of having faith? And it is with that question that I believe that this film mainly highlights the necessity in life that is faith, as without faith, suffering can become too close and too real, and sometimes having a God is an outlet like no other.

"I come prepared (with genre research)." - Jd