By Troy Carr

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

2. Codes and Conventions in Horrors Before I begin to answer the question I should begin by covering my understanding of what codes and conventions are. Because I have chosen Horror/psychological thriller) the codes and conventions of this type of film trailer would be: • Suspense • Fast paced scenes (varying depending on sub genre) • Built up tension • Fast paced editing • Protagonist is usually male and victim female To break this down further I would look at the codes and conventions of my sub genre which is a psychological thriller. The codes and conventions of a psychological thriller are: • Main character suffering from a condition which could be unknown in the film. • Confusion for the audience, for example plot twists to change the audiences understanding. • A sense of constant danger • Isolated areas. After thorough and extensive research upon Horror trailers and also the sub genre psychological trailers, I believe that I have a good understanding of codes and conventions of Horror.

3. The creation of Suspense • Multiple psychological thriller films tend to end the film on a cliff hanger or a scene which is intended to scare the audience. For my trailer I chose to leave it on a cliff hanger, this is a creative opportunity as it allows my audience to question and wonder what has built up to the final scene that they see, this allows me to play around with how they think about the film and I can make them believe several different scenarios led up to this moment. This technique is very conventional in Horrors as they use it to build suspense within the audience. Here is an example of the shot I used in the final scene of my trailer, it has slow music which dies out allowing suspense to be built.

4. Creating Tension • Creating tension is a common convention for Horror and also for my sub genre. Using editing is one aspect which allows tension to be created, trailers will begin slow and through that build up in pace so that tension is created. By the end of the trailer it would have quickened meaning the audience has seen a lot of scenes from the beginning to the end. From this the audience may not understand why certain shots have been chosen in the trailer so that it may become confusing for the audience viewing the trailer and they may be overwhelmed with the amount of viewing they have experienced in that amount of time which tends to be around 2 minutes. • Within my trailer I chose to opt out of this technique of being overwhelmed with so many different scenes. Because of this it means that I have to challenge the conventions of normal thrillers and to combat this I begin my trailer with shorts, quick scenes which help to bring tension and this is optimised with the next which has been edited so that it is slowed down and helps create a “stalking scene "this meant that tension could have been created because the scene is long and the audience know what is coming. This means my trailer is different but tension is still present because the combination of short and long scenes means that tension is maximised. • From watching trailers I saw that this technique wasn't common but this allowed me to create a new idea which I believed worked.

5. Tension continued • In order to create tension sound is a concept which cant be ignored. In order to create tension trailers commonly use loud bangs to shock the audience . For me I used this technique but also implemented my own ideas. During the scene in which the girl is being attacked I used a long bang in order to scare the audience but during other scenes I used a low drum beat, this was done because it helped build tension, this was because the audience at this time will be questioning why it is so calm and this means my technique is working, because my sub genre is a psychological thriller it means that I have got into the audiences mind and questioned their perception of Horror as they would commonly see sharp sound but my audience will be scared through lack of sound and the unknown. • I believe that I have challenged that convention well as I am still applying a scare factor to my audience but in a modernised and different way. I also limited the amount of dialogue in my trailer, this was because dialogue in many Horror trailers is sparse and not frequently used. In order to use codes and conventions of Horror I have chose to follow this technique because it will again scare my audience as they will have the fear of the unknown. • Lighting is also used to create tension in trailers, this convention is used in Horror because it helps play on most audiences fear of the dark, this isn't the case in my trailer. I have challenged this convention because I believe this effect is repetitive and audiences have become sensitised to this effect. Because of this I have used mostly natural light and used camera shots to help present tension, this helps me avoid repeating techniques and bring a new way to view a Horror film. • In terms of codes and conventions I believe that although I have gone against some of them, I have used some conventions effectively whilst also using my own techniques successfully.

6. Location • During the filming of my trailer I used several different locations to portray meaning and reflect the genre of the film to the audience. • The tunnel: I chose this location because during my audience research it was suggested that urban settings would be good to use. I chose to follow this because it allowed me to play with the idea of using isolated area sin urban environments. In this shot I have the character waling through a tunnel alone implying that something could possibly happen to him. (conventional type of location used in thrillers).

7. Location continued • The Alley: This scene was part of a point of view, long shot and also over the shoulder shots. I chose to use this location because it implies the isolation of the female character, this means it is easier for her to be victimised as the location us urban (codes and conventions) but also still sectioned from the population, because of this it means that the character can possibly be attacked here.

8. Location Continued • The fields: I chose to use the fields because it was an open area which is a conventional type of location in other Horror trailers, this area is useful because it means that again a character can be attacked but as seen in Horrors this is where the killer is found as they can be heard as it is an open area.

9. Using Camera Conventions • My media product uses several conventions of your typical Horror genre conventions. My media products uses these by replicating these conventions such as the type of camera shots that have been used. I have used several different camera shots which are typically used in Horror films, these are Point of View shots, Over the shoulder shots, Mid two shots, Establishing shots, Long shots, Close ups and extreme close ups.

10. Camera Conventions • As previously mentioned I used a variety of different shots, below are some of the different types of shots that I have used. I have used these different shots because they are typically used in Horror films, from this it helps to make my film more like a Horror because it represents the conventions that Horrors have e.g. A point of view shot representing being in the killers eyes and also a close up so you can see the evil intent of the killer. I also used a two shot to represent conversation between two possible suspects, this helps express conventions further because that type of shot is used in a multitude of Horror films.

11. More Camera Conventions • Here are more of the camera shots that I have used in my product, here I have used an Over the shoulder shot to resemble the killer stalking the victim, this is typically used in Horror films and I believed it would be effective to replicate this in my own media product. I also used an extreme close up, this is done because in terms of conventions, this is regularly done because it helps to show the emotion in victims faces as they are being hunted so I believed that it would be a significant shot to include into my media product.

12. Even more Camera conventions • For my other camera shots I used a long shot and an establishing shot. I used a long shot because it helped present the idea of being followed from behind, this is common in Horror films as it gives a fear factor to the audience as they know what is going to happen. I also used an establishing shot, this was done so n idea of location was given, what we see in Horror films is the type of location is urban settings, to keep to this convention I also kept to filming in urban areas so that it keeps to the conventions that youthful people appear in Horror films.

13. Genre Conventions • With my Genre, I attempted to follow the conventions that have been set by previous Horror films. What I mean by this is that typically in Horror films the cast are young and as such all the actors are predominately young. To follow suit with this I have also assembled a cast of young actors so that it implicates the usual conventions of Horrors and appears similar. This helps my media product strive to be a successful Horror trailer as you can see how it would compare against other Horror trailers. • Another way in which I stuck to Horror trailer conventions is by dressing the actors in a youthful and up to date dress sense, this helps establish that it is sent in a present sense and give attention to the target audience in which I am looking for using past conventions.

14. Genre Conventions • Also my media product uses conventions in the way scenes have been shot. By this I mean the mis en scene, I have decorated my sets by placing litter and other types of rubbish so that it fits Horror conventions of being set in dirty and gritty conditions, as you can see below the set has been designed so that it appears as a type of area in which you wouldn’t want to walk down. This helps follow conventions as commonly seen in Horrors characters go down alleys in which you wouldn’t normally walk down and I have portrayed this element in the designs of my set.

15. Male Protagonist • Within Horrors the protagonist/antagonist is usually male. A number of films that follow this technique are Saw, Sixth Sense , I Am Legend and also Insidious. • When I first done my audience research it was stated that a Female protagonist would be most preferable, but due to previous codes and conventions it is seen that a male is usually the protagonist. Because of this I have decided to go against my audience research which may be a risky decision but I believe it will pay off to follow past conventions as they have worked and it wouldn’t be sensible to not follow an idea which works in this sense. • Because of codes and conventions I have implied that the female is the weaker character, although this isn't an idea which I personally hold, I believe that codes and conventions have worked in the past and audience perception may believe that a male character is more likely to be a violent character in comparison to a female character.

16. Challenging Conventions • My media product although it does follow media conventions it also challenges conventions. It challenges conventions because unlike typical trailers which can range from anything from 1 minute and 45 seconds to possibly as long as 3 minutes mine is slightly shorter than this. The length of my trailer is 1 minute and 43 seconds. Even though it is fractionally shorter than 1 minute 45 it is done so for a reason. The reason behind why my trailer is this length is because I believe that trailers are too long in length, I believe they take too long to get to the point of the narrative and to express plot details and also what the style of the film is. My film represents genre, plot and what style of the film is in a slightly shorter time. • I believe this challenges conventions because it entertains the audience and gives them all of the relative information without revealing too much about my own product. With this being said I have done this so that audiences can see my trailer and take it in its full and still be immersed in it. I think that when they view my trailer they will talk about it and wish too see more rather than when they view other trailers which can sometimes go on for too long. This means that my trailer will be effective by challenging conventions because it does what other trailers do, but in less time and in the same amount of detail.

17. Conventions- Editing • In my filming I have stuck to several editing conventions which are present in Horror films, these are blurring out characters faces, dissolves from scene to scene, fades from scene to scene, titles of text, scenes being edited so they are in black and white and also straight cuts from scene to scene. • I used the effect of blurring out the characters face because from when I was researching other trailers I noticed that the identity of the killer was always obscure so I decided to follow conventions and also make it hard to tell who the killer was in my trailer. As you can see below they are both blurred, this was one of the conventions I noticed from other trailers and as such I have included this into my trailer, I believe this is an effective convention to use as it leaves the identity of the killer a mystery and it could be anyone. • An effect that I used which is present in many horrors is that they straight cut to other scenes, I have also featured this effect as it helps speed up the film and I believe that it is a good effect to help create an intense atmosphere and to also present a type of quickened heart beating. This is a good effect to use because many horror films use this.

18. Conventions- Editing • I have also used dissolves within my media product, I have used this convention because it helps implement a change in scene, this is a typical editing feature which is featured in countless Horror films, because of this it would be wrong to ignore this convention. I have done this so it represents a change in scene and helps to slow down and create a sense of fear. Also I have used fades within my media product, this is used successfully because it is an effect which is present in Horror trailers, I have done this because it helps to provoke intensity and a thrilling effect. This type of convention means that it really looks like a Horror film and helps metaphorically “throw” my film into being a Horror. On the left is the example of the dissolve and on the right is the example of the fade.

19. Conventions- Editing • I have also edited some scenes that they are in black and white, the reason behind this effect was that a convention of a horror film is that murders happened in the past and they come back to haunt the people of the present. To follow this convention I have used the black and white effect as a flashback so that it represents a change in time and how past events have lead up to current events. This convention means that my Horror film is even more relative to the genre because the effect replicates that of previous trailers.

20. The use of text • All trailers that I previewed for the research of my trailer have utilised texts that lightly reveals the narrative of the film. Below is an example of the text that I chose to include in my film. The text is present on screen just long enough for the audience to read it. I used black and white because it is a subliminal metaphor for my audience. “The black and white truth” This means that what is present on screen is the literal meaning and it gives a direct hint towards the plot line of the film. • Within my media product I have used titles of text, this has been done because as a convention it helps to tell the plot of the story and because of this I have chosen to use it, because of the conventions of Horror I have made my titles cards dark and edgy so that it is creepy and helps to follow the codes and conventions of a Horror.

21. Ancillary texts • Here are on the left, my magazine cover and on the right my film poster.

22. Planning of texts • Before I planned my magazine I needed to understand the layout of typical film magazines and because of this I looked at magazine such as Empire and Film. I saw how they make successful magazines and decided to follow the codes and conventions of those magazines. • The structure of magazines can be applied to all kinds of magazines and as such the layout will always be similar. The only noticeable differences would the genre of magazine and also the colour palette and type of audience. (this requires attention to detail to capture the genre) Images are also play a major part for directing who your target audience is.

23. Magazine examples • As you can see below, I have analysed three different types of film magazines and they all use the same codes and conventions. Below they have these features: • Mastheads • Teasers • Plugs • Strap lines • Barcodes • Featured photograph • Main Cover line

24. Film magazine • As you can see I have clearly followed the codes and conventions of a regular film magazine cover. I have followed them because if you begin to challenge conventions in an area such as magazines, you will find that it won’t be as effective as conventional magazines. For example if you chose to have your masthead at the bottom of the cover it wouldn’t be noticeable and it would begin to look unprofessional and this wouldn’t be good. • Overall I am extremely happy with my product, I believe it follows the codes and conventions of a magazine cover and looks like a professional magazine. • Currently the only problem with my magazine is that there is a small section which doesn't have anything there and I would of liked to have included a small photograph there in the bottom left hand corner, this is because it is a common convention within some magazines and I believe it would have made mine better.

25. My Magazine Analysis Teaser Mast Head Main cover line Feature Photograph Plugs Barcode Strap line

26. Film Poster • Film posters offer many different ideas and they begin to take all sorts of shapes and forms. Due to this, there isn’t a specific layout for a theatrical poster. With this being said, there are however codes and conventions that can be followed. These include: • An image relating to the film • Credits located at the bottom • The title of the film • Date of release

27. Examples of Film Posters • Whilst researching film posters I found that they had a common concept , this was that they both have theatrical and teasers. In relation to film posters a teaser poster will not reveal a date when the film is being released whilst a theatrical poster will reveal when it will be coming out. This concept is good because it means you can leave the audience wanting to know more about your film and this is something I wanted to apply to my own film poster.

28. Analysis of a Film poster Because it was a main task to create a film poster, I wanted to analyse one in depth to get a grasp of the typical codes and conventions that were in a film poster. • What I noticed is that the main image was in the centre this allows the audience to understand what the film is about and they get an idea for the plot line of the film. • I also noticed that the title was featured just underneath the main image, the title is clearly stated and stands out against the background. • Because this is a theatrical poster the release date is mentioned, this allows the audience to know when it is released. • The colour palette is limited which can imply the genre of the film, the colours are black with red which indicates it could be gruesome and dark. As such I believe that the limited use of colour labels the genre. • We also see a tag line has been used, this can help establish both genre and plotline of the film and helps to market the film to the audience do they know what they could possibly watch.

29. My Film Poster Analysis As you can see I have limited my colour palette, this helps reinforce the genre as it is the lack of colour which tells us what the genre is. This helps us establish that it is a Horror/thriller. I have also included the media companies which have been involved in the making of the film. I have also like many film poster included the release date of the film. Here you can see that the first tagline is understated, this helps reinforce the idea that it is a mystery that he is coming and it isn't widely known as of yet. After the previously mentioned understated tagline I wanted something that could really stand out to the audience but also play on their minds. The text can be read horizontally and also vertically, this helps to focus the idea of not knowing and creating an air of confusion. It can be read as “He JUST DOES NOT KNOW IT” and also “HE DOES KNOW, JUST NOT IT.”

30. More analysis The main photo has been used in a way so that with the misty background he still stands out. This is done to show that he is shrouded in mystery and the unknown also the way he is standing has been done so that you cant see who it is and it means it could be anyone behind the hood. The title is in red and black to help it stand out against the background . The title of the film an dhow dark the text is helps establish what it is about as incognito means hidden and unrevealed.

31. Thoughts on Film poster • Overall I am pleased with the final outcome of poster. I believe I have followed the codes and conventions of a typical film poster relating to the genre (Horror/psychological thriller). I decided against challenging any conventions as I felt it would leave me with an poor quality and unprofessional looking poster. I also felt it would look inferior and ineffective if I chose to challenge them and that was a look I wanted to avoid.

32. Conclusion • In conclusion I feel that my trailer was a success in narrating the storyline, even more so after the earlier stages of development. I tried to reinforce the codes and conventions of my chosen genre as I wanted it to look authentic and also realistic compared to a real media product. I am happy with the finished product because I used real media products to influence my own production. • As previously mentioned I did challenge codes and conventions with the choice of lighting, the slow scenes, and also the choice of music. I did so to make my trailer stand out against other trailers as I believe I still achieve the desired effects that other trailers get using conventional methods. • I also was slightly out in terms of timing of my film, the was done for a reason as I believed that I could provide the audience with enough information in a shorter time than other film trailers. Because my trailer falls at 1:43 it is just shorter than other trailers but I believe it still achieves what other trailers do but in a different way. • My film magazine and poster also both follow the common conventions of other real media products, this was done so my products could look professional and effective. • Overall I fell as though a tremendous effort has went in to creating several of the texts. I believe that my products reflects well against other media products. I paid close attention to narrative of the film, mis en scene within the trailer, layouts (magazine and poster) and incorporated real media products to help me achieve this.