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

2. Horror Trailer
As a group, we decided to create a promotional
package based on the genre of horror. My
research and planning of existing horror trailers
aided me in the production of my own. After
carrying out research of sub-genres we decided
to base our trailer on the paranormal. Elements
of thriller can also be detected from the trailer,
through the use of a death and news clips
featured within it.
I conformed to the stereotypical conventions of
a horror trailer through the storyline. By
beginning the trailer in a happy place at the start
with the two friends, this creates a sense of
happiness and security for the audience as well
as signifying that the happiness will not last
long. The storyline of the trailer then continues
with a problem and the result being the death of
one of the characters and her jealousy and
eventual haunting.
The use of text inserts to assist in explaining the
plot of the film is also a stereotypical
convention, using a dark theme of black to
convey the theme of horror.

3. A factor that challenges typical media products is
the lack of dialogue within the trailer. I personally
felt that the trailer may seem less realistic and
professional with a lot of dialogue, instead
choosing to focus on suspense drone music and
sound effects such as a scream.
Inserts of a rating screen at the beginning of the
trailer conform to the conventions of existing film
trailers, giving guidelines on the suggested
audience for the film and making it seem realistic.
This was further reinforced by the inserts of
production company logos I had previously
created. The release date of the film at the end of
the trailer also notifies the audience when they
will be able to view the film. I also include star
ratings and quotes such as “Terrifying” from film
magazines to promote the film within the trailer,
encouraging people to want to see it.
The setting of my trailer being in both a house
and graveyard conforms to stereotypical horror
films. The house creates a sense of disturbed
security when it becomes a place that is not safe.
My choice of actresses being young girls as
victims also shows signs of a typical horror film.

4. Poster
I tried to use as many film poster conventions within my construction in order to create a product that seemed realistic and
could be advertised alongside existing posters. All features found on my poster follow typical conventions of existing
posters.
The TAGLINE provides
information about the story line
within the film as well as making
the poster more memorable
The use of an IMAGE creates
a focus point for the poster
while displaying the main
character of the film
The film TITLE is large and
placed in the bottom centre
third of the page. The text
used also created a LOGO
for the film, especially
considering the cracked
effect placed on it.
The RELEASE DATE shown
at the bottom of the page
advertises clearly when the
audience will be able to view
the film.
The BILLING BLOCK at the
bottom of the poster provides
more detailed information about
the film’s actors and producers
etc.
The RATING of the film
provides a guideline for the
film’s audience and what age
would be suitable to view the
film
I included my film
PRODUCTION LOGOS at
the bottom of the poster to
make it look more
professional
A COLOUR SCHEME of
red, black and white
follows the typical
conventions of a horror
film poster

5. My film poster features many aspects of poster conventions. This is evident through the
layout of my poster; with the image large in the centre of the page, while the film title, tagline,
billing block, rating, release date and production logos are situated at the bottom of the page.
The colour scheme I used is also typically conventional for a film poster, especially for those
based on films with the theme of horror. I challenged some features that are often
conventional for a film poster such as having the film title placed at the top of the poster (as
seen in the poster for the horror film “Sinister” below). I believe I have utilised the
stereotypical conventions of a film poster in order to create a poster that seems realistic and
would fit in with existing posters.

6. Magazine Cover
The MASTHEAD of my
magazine in the top left
corner creates a
trademark logo for my
magazine, drawing
attention to the magazine
name
I included a
TAGLINE/UNIQUE
SELLING POINT for my
magazine and placed it
next to the masthead to
persuade the audience
to buy the magazine
The COVERLINES
shown give the
audience information on
stories that will be found
inside the magazine
I included a PLUG to
feature as another
selling point for the
magazine, promoting a
film based prize
I included an official
WEBSITE ADDRESS for my
film magazine to create an
interactive cover as well as
making it more professional
The use of one MAIN IMAGE
on my cover shows clearly
what the main film featuring in
the magazine will be
The COLOUR SCHEME of
the magazine is evident
through the masthead, text,
and plug. Following a theme
of red, black and white
The LEAD ARTICLE/COVER
STORY is displayed through
the HEADLINE used, simply
being the film title. The
CAPTION underneath also
gives a brief description of the
article itself
The DATE and magazine
ISSUE NUMBER display typical
magazine features, while the
PRICE and BARCODE help to
make the cover look more
realistic, as if it was on sale in a
shop

7. My film magazine cover uses conventional features in many ways. Like
most magazine covers, the masthead is large, crossing the with of the
page and found at the top. However I challenged this convention by
creating a logo masthead rather than just plain text. I incorporated a film
strip with the masthead text in order to make the cover more eye catching
and memorable. The colour scheme is considerably darker in comparison
with the covers shown below, however this dark theme is conventional for
a magazine issue containing the main feature article of a horror film. My
cover uses just one large image on the page, focusing the reader’s
attention on the main film within the issue. Conventional cover lines can
also be found on both sides of the page, using bold text in capitals to
ensure that the reader is clear on what they will find inside.

8. Conclusion
Overall, I feel that I utilised my skills of digital technology in
order to produce three media texts that successfully
represent their form. I used and developed a range of
conventions to suit the genre and audience requirements. I
also challenged forms in areas in order to make my product
unique and original. I believe my texts could exist alongside
current media texts.