The document analyzes the ways in which a film trailer uses and develops conventions of real media products in the horror genre. It finds that the trailer uses many established horror conventions, including nightmares, characters being followed, jump scares, ominous music, research into evil antagonists, bloody violence, and cliffhanger endings. Some conventions are challenged through minor changes to layout and placement of elements, but overall the trailer firmly adheres to genre conventions to effectively convey a horror story and appeal to audiences familiar with the style.

1. Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?

2. Trailer Analysis
The trailer begins with the nightmare scene.
Nightmares are an extremely common
convention of the horror genre. They are
something which we cannot control where our
own mind betrays us, making them frightening
to all of the audience members as everyone
experiences them.
The second shot shows the protagonist looking
out the window as the narration describes that
she is being followed. This again is a common
convention of horror films as the fear of being
followed or not knowing what is happening
around you is used a lot to incite fear in horror
films. This again uses conventions. An example
where this has been used before is in the film
“The Woman In Black” where the protagonist is
being followed and looks out of the window
worriedly.

3. The next important shot is the scream. Following a blank
screen this shot is intended to be a jump scare as the loud
sound of the scream catches the audience off guard. I
decided to use a scream as it connotes fear and danger
from the protagonist. This has been a convention since it
was used in the film “Psycho” in 1960. It distresses the
audience and makes them fear what is endangering the
character.
Next is the production and distribution company logos.
These are placed around the beginning of the trailer
where they do not look out of place. This also helps to
set the tone for the trailer as the production company
here shows the genre before the rest of the trailer has
been seen.

4. Next is the news report. This has been a feature
of countless horror films as it helps to establish a
backstory of past events in a serious and
believable manner. This uses conventions as it is
widely used and recognisable to the audience as
a technique used in horror films to describe the
events leading up to where the film takes off.
Following on from the production company logo is the
introduction of the director. This is usually accompanied
by some examples of successful films in order to attract
more audience members. I used this technique in hope
that it will have this effect. Here is an example of this
being used in the trailer for “Sinister 2”. This is a
technique used across all genres of film, not just horror.

5. Research into the evil antagonist is a widely used convention
of horror films, with most trailers featuring a computer or
book with information about the character inside. Here I
have chosen a computer as it is more up to date with modern
technology. An example of a film where this has been used
was in “Sinister”. The protagonist used a computer to
research the antagonist uncovering information and forums
about it.
The use of the dark shadowy underpass setting is used in
films such as “Let Me In” as they display all the features
of a conventional horror film set. Dark, grey and
claustrophobic it is a very common setting for the
meeting of the antagonist and the victim and it is
sheltered so there are no passers by.

6. Being chased through the woods. Another example of
where I have used a convention. Seen here is an example
from “Evil Dead” where the protagonist is being chased
through the forest. The secluded atmosphere puts the
audience on edge as it makes them feel venerable as the
character is trapped even though she is in an open space.
There is a lot of open space in the shot creating tension as
an attack could come from any direction.
This shot helps to build the tension towards the
end of the trailer. Having the frantic movements
and loud screaming really panics the audience and
makes them realise that the protagonist is in great
danger, meaning that the antagonist should be
feared. This is a conventional technique to create
a fear for the antagonist without showing them
directly and ruining any of the plot.

7. Showing blood connotes danger and effects the audience
as it creates tension. The blood shows that the battle
between the good and the evil characters will not be
pretty, creating more of a cliff hanger and attracting the
audience to go and see the film, as my target audience
want to see the extreme. The blood is conventional as it
goes with the genre extremely well as one of the main
elements of horror is death and injury, which is shown best
by dripping blood as it shows a lot without being too
graphic.
The last shot shows the protagonist wielding a weapon. This
is often added into trailers to leave them on a cliff-hanger.
Will the evil villain catch the protagonist or will she be
strong enough to fight back? This is conventional as it is a
great advertising technique. It makes the audience wonder
how the film will end, tempting them into going o see the
film. This is why I ended my trailer with this shot. It acts as a
great cliff-hanger, ending just as the tension has risen to it’s
peak.

8. Ancillary Text 1 – Film Poster
Actors names are shown at the
top of the poster. Stars are a big
selling point and so putting the
names of the stars at the very top
of the poster could help to sell
the film if they recognise the
names.
Slogan on the grave. This is similar to
the poster for “Mortuary” 1983. It
takes centre frame of the poster so you
cannot miss it. It has the words “Evil
Will Rise” as seen in the trailer. This re-
enforces the narrative on the audience
and helps people recognise the film. It
also gives a very brief overview of the
films narrative, as you can guess from
this that the film will be about an evil
supernatural being.
The title is the largest piece of text. This
draws the audience’s attention to it as the
name of the film is the most important
piece of information. The text is the same
as that seen in the trailer making it a
recognisable brand. The bright light in the
background helps to draw attention
immediately to the title as it is the most
eye catching part of the poster. I placed it
close to the top as people will instinctively
look to the top of the poster first and work
their way down.
Release date at the bottom of the
poster is larger than the small print
so that it stands out. It is an
important part of the poster and
having it by itself in a colour which
stands out helps to draw the
audience’s attention to it.
Production/distribution company logos.
These are the same colour as the names
and title, and so fit in with the house style.
These are important as a disclaimer and
credits help the poster to look more
professional. The production company
may also be a selling point for some
people, as production companies such as
“Hammer Horror” become well know
within a certain genre, and people will
trust them to produce good films,
therefore convincing more people to go
and see it.

9. Existing Posters - Layout
The layout of my poster follows the conventions of both the medium and the genre. Here I have found 2
posters which look similar to my poster. As you can see I have used a conventional layout by starting at
the top of the page with names of stars. I have then challenged the conventions by putting the title at the
top. Most horror films out the title at the bottom, but I thought that putting it at the top would mean
that people would see this before anything else as it stands out and most people read a page from top to
bottom, so it would be one of the first things the audience sees. Under the title is the main image which
takes up most of the space on the poster. This contains a quote which as you can see in the examples is
usually above or below the main image, and I have challenged the layout convention by having it as part
of my main image. I felt that this was an effective way to get the message of the film across to the
audience. At the bottom of the page there is the small print and the release date along with the relevant
company names. This is conventional as people will read the bottom of the page last and so they will not
be reading the small print until last. They will also read the date last so that it will stay in their minds.
Release date
Stars
Title
Quote
Credits
Main image

10. Existing Posters
On horror posters, hands are everywhere! Whilst doing my research it was
prominent that hands were used A LOT. This made it obvious that I had to in
cooperate one into my poster, as they show a threatening part of a person
without showing any of the rest of the being and giving too much away about the
character. My poster uses conventions in the sense that a grave stone is used –
mirroring the common theme of death in horror films. It also uses dark grey
colours which as you can see here is extremely common. I have also used the
colour red for my title which reflects blood and danger and is a common
convention of media products of a horror genre. You can also see that the colours
have a low contrast and are very dull. I have tried to use this convention in my
poster by using the colour tool to adjust the contrast and make the brighter
colours more dull. This also helps the title to stand out. I have used the grey
colours for the sky in my poster, so that it is conventional in the fact that the most
dominant colour in the poster is grey, reflecting the dark themes.

11. Ancillary Text 2 – Magazine Cover
Masthead at the top of the
page is a different font to the
rest of the page so it stands
out as a recognisable brand
name for the magazine.
Magazine website so that
readers can get more
information
Plug with a USP stands out
due to the unique shape of
the background which
conforms to the genre of the
film featured.
Barcode with price lets the
audience know the cost of the
magazine. The barcode is in an
obvious place making it easier
to scan.
Skyline has an overview of what is
included in this issue of the
magazine, which lets the audience
decide weather to purchase the
magazine without having to read
through it. It may also attract
some people who do not normally
buy the magazine to purchase it.
Taglines are used to give readers
an insight into what is included
in the magazine, hopefully
making them want to purchase a
copy as the taglines are
interesting and inviting.
Cover line/headline is used to
entice the reader into reading
the magazine. This is usually the
most interesting story of the
issue and so it has to be
appealing in order to attract the
largest audience.
Quote from the headline
which attracts the reader to
see what the rest of the article
says.

12. Existing Covers - Layout
Tagline
Headline
My magazine cover uses conventions as the layout is very similar to those of existing products. The main
image takes up the majority of the space in the centre of the page whilst the taglines are placed around it
on the edges of the page. The masthead is at the top of the page with only a skyline above it. This makes
sure that the first thing the audience sees is the brand name of the magazine. The headline is then in the
centre of the page but near the bottom of the page so that it does not obstruct the main image. As you
can see I have used this on my cover and it is seen on the “TOTAL FILM” cover, yet the “EMPIRE” cover
has placed the headline in the middle of the page, so it could be said that I have maybe challenged this
convention.
Main image

13. Existing Covers
It was clear from my research that the use of colour is very important for
establishing the genre of my film cover. There are some very common elements to
a magazine cover featuring a horror film which include colour and ambience. It
was clear from the examples below that dark greys and blues were common for
the background, and reds and whites were common for the text. My cover
conforms to these conventions as my text is white and red and my background is
dark grey. You can also see that a couple of the examples feature fog or mist in the
background, or some sort of pattern rather than just a block colour. This is why I
decoded to add the texture to the background of my cover. Although it is not so
noticeable that it is distracting, without it the cover looks dull and less professional
like the examples.

14. Conclusion
My trailer mostly uses conventions of existing media
products. There are a few parts where the conventions
are challenged, however I mostly used conventions from
existing products of the same genre. I think this makes
the film more appealing to the audience, especially as it is
a horror film and the intention is to scare the audience. If
you stray too far from the conventions then you risk
confusing the genre and therefore creating a film that the
audience cannot relate to, as they genre is unclear.
Adding elements such as humour or romance would
dilute the story and make it more difficult for the
audience to take the film seriously, and this is why I
mostly didn’t challenge the forms or conventions. I made
small challenges to elements such as the layout, but not
so much as to make it unrecognisable to the genre. All of
my products stay firmly to the conventions of horror.