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

2. Teaser Trailer

3. How long? After conducting research into trailer conventions earlier in the course I know that Media trailers are around 50 seconds to 1 minute long. My trailer was exactly 50 seconds long, therefore it does not challenge this convention as it is within the expected length of many teaser trailers today. I deliberately made my teaser trailer to be more on the shorter side rather then longer. I feel that shorter teaser trailers are more effective overall. I wanted my trailer to be short and have a lasting impact on the audience. I feel a shorter trailer is more effective as it does not give to much of the short line away, this leaves the audience curious about the film which means they are more likely to want to watch it. I also feel that shorter trailers are more likely to impact the audience as a range of shorter and faster shots can be used to create a fast action type feel.

4. Pace The pace of my trailer began slow and then started to speed up which is a common convention of teaser trailers. I feel that this a effective technique as it creates a feeling of suspense and fear as the trailer builds up. In my opinion teaser trailers are most effective when they have a faster pace as this prevents the audience from becoming distracted as their attention is constantly maintained. I accompanied this fast pace by a selection of fast shots, these fast shots mean the audience are not able to see full length shots which is another way in which suspense is created as they are only viewing segments of the trailer, therefore they are likely to want to view more. The pace of my trailer matches the typical conventions as many teaser trailers have a pace which begins slow then speeds up and reaches a climax, similar to my trailer.

5. Editing I used both a variety of short and longer shots in my trailer. Teaser trailers tend to use a vast amount of short shots, where as I used a mixture of longer and short shots. I wanted to use a mixture of longer and short shots to create a feeling of suspense by using longer shorts to build up to a climax. I feel this type of editing has a great impact on the audience as a climax is build up which will create a feeling of both fear and suspense for the audience. I also used many transitions within my trailer to give more of an effect on the audience. Transitions also make the trailer look better on a whole as they add variety to the trailer. The transitions not only add variety but I feel they also help to tell the story of the trailer as they shots mix into each other. During some parts of the trailer I did not use any transitions and simply cut the shot to black. I feel this has a very strong impact on the audience as this sudden cut to black leaves frightens the audience as it makes them jump. It also creates suspense as the audience are unsure about what is coming next. The trailer ‘The Hills have eyes 2’ gave me this inspiration as the cut to black scenes in this trailer were very effective.

7. Mis en scene When I dressed the actors with in my trailer I wanted to ensure that the characters looked realistic and their outfits did not remove the element of realism from the trailer. I made sure that ‘Mollie’ and ‘James’ wore everyday clothing to make the trailer feel real. The costumes within my trailer differed from the norms slightly as I was unable to make the costumes look damaged and worn out during the trailer as they were actually clothes which I could not damage. However I did manage to make the clothing that the scary character wore look dirty and damaged as I simply used cloth to wrap around his head and a tank top which was easy to wash.

8. Mis en scene continued The location of my trailer was perfect for a horror trailer and I feel that it matched the norms of many horror trailers today. I have looked at several horror trailers and many are set in forestry areas. I feel this location was perfect as it was tranquil and deserted which added a sense of fear as the characters were alone with a villain. Although the location of my trailer was ideal the time of day was not. The quality of the camera stopped me from being able to film in the dark as the quality was poor when I attempted this. The area in which I planned to film was also very secluded therefore artificial lighting did not even help this matter. This is a way in which my trailer differed from the typical conventions of trailers as trailers tend to be filmed in darker areas.

9. Camera work When I filmed my trailer I ensured that I obtained a variety of shots as this will make the trailer much more effective. I filmed both long and short shots to effect the audience in different ways. I started off my trailer using long shots and then used a selection of shorter shots to help build up to a climax, which is a common convention of teaser trailers. When filming I made sure that I filmed a range of different shots as well. I filmed close up shots as this allows the audience to feel what the character is feeling which will allow them to engage and feel involved in the trailer. I also used long shots to give the audience as this allows the audience to see just how deserted the characters are which adds a sense of fear.

10. Titles I feel that the titles within my trailer meet the normal conventions of real media products. When I first used titles within my trailer I introduced them slowly and without any accompanying sound effects or music. I wanted to introduce the first titles within my trailer in this way, as I did not want the trailer to ‘jump’ straight into the fast pace and loud sound effects, I wanted some suspense to be build before this happens. After researching and watching many other horror trailers the titles seem to appear in this same sequence, slow and then become more sudden as the trailer goes on, for example in my own trailer the titles appear slowly and calmly and then as the action builds up within the trailer the titles appear fast and sudden accompanied by loud banging noises. I feel that using sudden titles with a loud noise to accompany it not only makes the audience jump but also adds a sense of fear to what the audience is reading. In my trailer I did not introduce the characters in the titles or any awards which the film has received, this is away in which my trailer titles differs from the normal conventions of real media products. Many horror trailers which I researched included information regarding the awards and names of the characters. I did not want to include these in my trailer and I felt that there was nowhere in the trailer where this information would look suitable. I decided to include award and actors names on my poster cover as I wanted the trailer to only give the audience a taste of the film and leave the information to be supplied on the posters.

11. Narrative Teaser trailers are designed to tease an audience. Many teaser trailers do not tell the audience much about the narrative as the purpose of a teaser trailer is to leave potential audiences wanting to watch the film due to the curiosity created due to the lack of narrative supplied. I feel that my teaser trailer challenges this convention. My teaser trailer is quite explicit and supplies the audience with quite a lot of information regarding the narrative. After watching my trailer audiences will be aware that there is a villain who is following a couple who have decided to go camping up a hill and the male has been killed. I produced my trailer so audiences are able to know quite a lot about the story line as I feel this is effective technique as audiences will understand what the film is about and want to see more of it. At the end of my trailer the villain finds the female camper and then the trailer ends, this teases audiences as they are left wondering what happens of this female, does she survive? Does she escape, does she die? Does she kill him? Etc. This is a way in which suspense is created and the audience is left wanting to watch the film.

12. Posters

13. Mode of address When I produced my posters (billboard, poster 1, poster 2) I wanted to include a message which was directed at the audience. After researching horror posters in the past I know that it is a common convention of many media poster products to have a slogan which is directed at the audience. I feel that if a poster includes a slogan which includes the words ‘YOU’ or ‘YOUR’ then this immediately communicates with the audience. The audience will feel as if they are involved and they will be able to engage with the poster as they are being directly ‘spoken’ to by the poster. Using direct address also allows the audience to put themselves in the characters shoes which may attract the audience to watch the film as they can again engage with it. Below are a few examples of direct address which I found on some horror poster covers.

14. Colors When I made my posters I used the same color scheme throughout each different poster. In my trailer I used text which was a certain brown color and I used this brown color on each poster I created. I wanted to link all the different posters together so the audience can identify that the different texts are all linked. I feel that having a similar color scheme through all the relating texts is an effective technique as this would also help the promotion of the product as the separate texts can be identified as one. After researching several different posters and texts I have noticed that a similar color used within the trailer and other texts is a common convention and my work has met these conventions. On my posters I used a mixture of lighter and darker colors, many horror posters tend to have a very dark color scheme therefore my work challenges these conventions. I did used dark colors in areas of my poster therefore my poster did not differ a great deal from these conventions. I personally feel that using both lighter and dark colors will have more of an impact on the audience as they are more likely to notice a poster which includes different color shades rather then just one. On my two posters below I wanted to use different colors for both to add variety to my posters. In poster 1 I duplicated a layer and made them both black and white, I then changed one of the layers so the color was visible but very dull. I did this because I wanted there to be some color included in my poster but not to much as I still wanted the picture to look like it belongs in the horror genre.

15. Images I used the same image on all of my posters as I wanted to create a link between all the different posters. I wanted the image I used to be the same so audiences were able to create a link between the three different posters and identify that they are all representing the same film. I feel that making an image representative of a film is a way in which the film can become recognised. After researching many different poster covers I saw a common occurrence of both close up and distanced images being used on poster covers. I did not seem to see many posters at all where the images were of a medium distance, they seemed to be ether close or far away. I chose an image which is has a element of both distance and closeness to it. The image I chose features a dead body hanging from a free, the body is relatively close to the camera where as the forestry and greenery ahead is in the distance. I liked this picture as I feel it created a sense of suspense due to the open forest as well as a sense of immediate fear due to the hanging body. I feel the image will have an impact on the audience as they will want to know who this person is, how they got there, why they are dead etc. The image itself is intriguing and shocking.

16. Text The text on my all of my posters match the conventions of many poster covers which are out today. I used a large bold title at the top of my poster, I did this to attract the audience’s attention and immediately inform the audience of what the poster is advertising. I also included the date of release on my horror posters in order to supply the audience with some information regarding the release of the film. I also included the slogan ‘He Will Find You’ on each of the posters in large text. I feel this is a way in which the audience will be attracted to the film as they will want to find out who ‘he’ is and ‘why he will find you’. I made sure that the most important information was printed in large and bold writing so the audience are able to see this clearest as it is the information which was most relevant to them. I did not include as much information in my billboard poster as this is not intended to supply potential audiences with much information it is simply to inform audiences about and up coming film and supply them with minimal information. I also included a quotation on my billboard poster as this will indicate to audiences that the film is good and worth going to see. The hills have eyes is an example of a poster which uses a slogan as well as a large title to attract the audiences attention .

17. Layout For both my billboard and horror posters I wanted to ensure that I did not use to much text or pictures as I did not want my work to become cramped as this is a way in which audiences can become confused and miss important information which is displayed on the poster. On all three of my posters I included a large title which was positioned at the top of the posters, this is the main feature of the poster and the most importance piece of information therefore I made sure it was displayed at the top of the posters to it can be clearly seen. I feel that my billboard poster matches and both challenges the conventions of other film billboards. I feel that it meets these conventions in the sense that it includes a large title and quotation which comments on how good the film is, however I feel that it challenges the conventions due to the size of the image on my billboard poster. The size of the image is relatively small compared to the size of the billboard poster, however I feel the image I used is still effective due to what it shows. I feel that my the two posters I created meet the conventions of many horror posters which are out today. My poster contains the name of the artists, the title of the film and a slogan in large writing so it is clearly visible. This is a common convention of many film posters as they intend to supply the audience with the key information. I displayed the information about companies involved in the making of the film at the bottom of my poster, this is where this information is almost always displayed on horror poster covers, this is another way in which my horror poster meets common conventions.

18. Connotation On one of the posters I created I used a red outline on some of the text displayed on the poster. I wanted to use the color red to outline my text as this represents blood and makes the audience think of blood when I see this. This is an example of connotation as the red outline represents blood and adds a sense of fear to poster. The poster for the film ‘Mirrors’ is a good example of connotation. The red text has been used to represent blood which leaves the audience to there own imagination of gruesome events.

19. Magazine cover

20. Images After researching many different magazine covers I have been able to identify that it is a common convention to use a large main image which represents the main film featured in the magazine. This main image is always of the main character/s in that particular film. I decided to use an image of the villain on my magazine cover. I feel that using a scary character on the front cover of the magazine will impact the audience more as this immediately draws the audiences eye to the image as it is more attention grabbing then an image of any ordinary person. An image of a scary character is also intriguing as the audience are likely to want to know who is person is and why they are evil etc. When choosing the main image to use on my magazine cover I wanted to use an image which allows the audience to engage, for example the main image I used is of the scary character staring directly at you. This is directly addressing the audience as it feels as if the character is staring at you, this allows the audience to feel involved. I feel that the main image on my magazine cover meets the norms and conventions of many magazine covers today. I also wanted to use a selection of smaller images on my magazine. I feel it is effective to supply the audience with more of an insight into the film as this will encourage them to watch it. If an audience know what a film is about and understand the story line they may be more intrigued to watch it as they already have an understanding of what the film is about.

21. Images continued.. Large main image used which stands out to the audience and immediately attracts attention and leaves the audience wanting to know more about this character Smaller images used to give the audience a more clearer picture of aspects of the magazine, this is another way in which audiences can be attracted to the magazine

22. Layout Just like all EMPIRE magazine covers (http://www.empireonline.com/magazine/covers/gallery.asp?GID=1362) I ensured that the title ‘EMPIRE’ was situated at the top of the poster, this immediately grabs the audience’s attention which can potentially lead them to look more deeply into the magazine. Having the title displayed at the top of the poster is a way in which audience’s are able to identify the genre of the magazine and what it will contain. I also placed my large main image in the centre of my magazine cover. Having a large central image attracts the audience to the magazine cover and immediately informs them that this image links to the main feature within the magazine. It is important to have a large attention seeking image otherwise audiences may not be attracted to this particular magazine. I feel that my main image meets the conventions of other film posters out today as nearly all of the magazine covers I have seen consist of a large central image relating to the main feature of the magazine. My magazine poster features a selection of smaller images on the front cover. I wanted to use these pictures to give the audience more of an insight in to the film. After researching other film covers I have seen that smaller images are almost always located at the bottom of the magazine cover. When I designed my cover I placed the smaller pictures at the bottom, I feel that the pictures are most effective here as they are still clearly visible but do not attract the attention away from the main image on the cover. When creating my cover I wanted to ensure that all the information about ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ was situated in one area. I wanted all of the information to be in one place and not spread over the cover as this reduces confusion and focuses the audience’s attention to the one main feature. If the information about ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ was spread all over the page then this main feature would be less obvious and audiences can potentially become confused about what the main feature actually is. The information which is not linked to ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ is displayed around the outside of the main image, this information is still prominent, however not as noticeable as the ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ information due to font sizes and colours.

23. Colours When making my magazine cover the first thing I wanted to make sure was that the main feature of the magazine was a different color to the rest of the cover, this makes the main feature stand out more and grab the audiences attention. I made the ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ title a brown color which differs from the rest of the cover as this makes it more noticeable. I also used a color scheme on my magazine cover as I used a black and yellow color for the all the other features of the magazine, I feel that using a color scheme for ALL of the other features is effective as the ‘SLAUGHTER HILL’ title and pictures stand out more this way. My magazine covers challenges the norms and conventions of other magazine covers in this sense as many other covers use a range of different colors to highlight and emphasize the other features within the magazine. At the bottom of my magazine cover there is a sentence which says ‘EXCLUSIVE SLAUGHTER HILL INTERVIEWS’, this sentence as quite hidden away on my cover as it was right at the bottom. I made this sentence red to match the title as the eye will be drawn to this sentence which makes it more noticeable. My magazine matches the conventions in this sense as I noticed that several magazine highlight aspects of the magazine which are more hidden away due to other features and this is exactly what I did!

24. Text My poster, as well as all film magazines contain a large title at the top of the cover, this is to attract the audience’s attention to the magazine. I decided to use the ‘EMPIRE’ title as this it is particularly attention grabbing and noticeable compared to other magazines I have researched. I included the price of the magazine in my cover as this is featured on a vast majority of magazines and is a common convention. Important features within magazine are commonly highlighted to show there existence, this sentence is hidden away therefore I made it red in order to make it more noticeable, this is a common convention. I made this text much larger then other features in the magazine, as well as much large. The main feature within all my magazine is exaggerated more in order for it to be noticed, this is a common convention and my magazine matches this convention. I decided to include the issue number of the magazine, this is presented on a vast amount of empire magazines and as I was using the EMPIRE title I thought it would be a good idea to include the issue number as it is a common empire magazine convention. All magazines include other features on the front cover, this adds variety to the cover, therefore I added a range of different features to match this convention.

25. The end