To begin with, the products which I produced (film trailer, film poster and magazine front

cover) generally all followed the generic forms and conventions of real media products. This is because I conducted a sufficient and thorough

amount of primary and secondary research into forms and conventions of similar media

products. I made sure to analyse a  minimum of three products for each the trailer, magazine cover and poster to ensure I maximized my

background knowledge and what characteristics are necessary before creating my own. Doing so gave me a clear understanding of what to

include in each of my products. Additionally all my products were based on the horror genre

which also narrowed down my research.

My trailer mainly conforms to the codes and conventions of existing horror trailers. However some of these conventions were also challenged

in order to produce my trailer from a more creative approach to match the narrative. Some general forms and conventions of a film trailer are: film title and release date, edits such as transitions, SFX, non-diegetic and diegetic

music, overlay text and voiceovers. To address these similarities or any changes I will compare

my trailer to The Unborn trailer as the real media product.

Structure of the trailerMy product Existing product

At the start of The Unborn trailer we are immediately introduced to the main character through a close up shot, followed by an insight to the characters life. Similarly, in my trailer I also used a close up shot at the start to introduce my character followed by an insight to her life as well as establishing her surroundings. Although The Unborn trailer is structured in a typical chronological order making the narrative easier to understand I chose to challenge this in my trailer by starting with a flash forward. I used a selection of short clips in a jump cut sequence to establish her confused state along with a voiceover to anchor. This was to add some excitement to the trailer.

Lighting and ColourMy product Existing product

Lighting is a crucial part in any horror film trailer to establish mood and setting. In both The Unborn and my own product high key

lighting is used when there is no disruption only equilibrium. However Like in The Unborn trailer I used low key lighting to anchor the text, suggesting something bad is going to happen. Audiences are able to identify the horror genre of the film through encoding. Stereotypically scenes consisting actions of horror tend to be set at night and in low-

key lighting to set a dark and mysterious mood of mise-en-scene giving the impression of dark shadows. Usually used in the presence of ‘evil’ or an evil villain to highlight the horror theme throughout the

trailer.

Sound including any dialogue used

My product Existing product• Voiceover narration• Non-diegetic audio• Sound FX to enhance the

viewing of the trailer as a whole

• Non-diegetic audio is played throughout to set the mood and pace of the trailer

• Sound EffectsMusic is a key feature in any film trailer, this is because the ability of sound is used to entice the audience and keep them engaged. Similarly

in both my product and existing product, non-diegetic music is used throughout the trailer to set the pace, genre and atmosphere of the film. In addition the use of Sound FX are used in The Unborn trailer to cause tension and discomfort between the audience. I followed these codes and conventions by including sound FX in some parts of the trailer to

add to the horror genre of the trailer and to create a more eerie atmosphere. Voiceovers are used to anchor/narrate the text in my film

trailer by introducing the main character. Also the whispered voiceovers throughout the trailer are used to suggest a hidden identity which plays

on the audiences fear of the unknown.

Legal/organisational issues

My product Existing product

Any film being released in the UK is awarded an age certification by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) A green screen preview is usually shown at the beginning of a film trailer to notify viewers of the appropriate audience allowed to view this film. Again I followed these codes and conventions by using the R rated certificate at the

start of my film trailer to ensure the correct audience consumption. In the existing product which I analysed also had a screen preview at

the start of the trailer.

Production companyMy product Existing product

Just like in The Unborn trailer I added the production company’s logo about 20 seconds into the trailer. Trailers generally present the

production company in the first half of the trailer. This is to inform audiences of who made the film as well as setting audience

expectations. Being informed of the films production company is significant. If the production company has high brand image it automatically has positive values to represent the company

suggesting Audiences who are familiar with the company may be more likely to watch the advertised film if they know or have liked

previous films produced by this company.

EditingMy product Existing product

• Fade-to-black/white and blur transitions

• Jump-cuts• Video filters (special effects

• Fade-to-black transitions• Jump-cuts• Special Effects

Fast paced editing and use of jump cuts are popular conventions of horror film trailers. Normally used at times of disequilibrium to add

tension between the audience keeping them engaged. These aspects were seen near the end of The Unborn trailer to pick the pace up

keeping audiences on their toes. Although I also used them near the end I decided to challenge these conventions by using these edits at

the start of the trailer. This was to create the ‘flash forward’ effect into Charli’s life. Additionally horror trailers tend to stick to fade-to-black transitions to adhere to the horror genre. I also used a fade to white transition at the start of the trailer to establish equilibrium and

good state of time within the trailer.

Main ProtagonistMy product Existing product

Although my film is targeted towards all ethnicities, for the ‘desired’ look of the main protagonist I followed the conventions of real media products. In all the horror film trailers I analysed: The Conjuring, The

Broken and The Unborn all the female protagonists shared similar characteristics. Such as; Caucasian, dark hair/eyes, attractive, petite and vulnerable looking. All these characteristics could be simply for

the use of the male gaze as well as being an easy target as the damsel in distress for the horror film.

Film titleMy product Existing Product

Having the film title in the trailer is crucial as that is what’s being advertised(the film!). Usually the film titles are presented at the end or near the end of the trailer, this is so audiences can easily recall the name of the film as it’s the last thing they would have seen. Based on my initial research when creating my film name all the horror film trailers which I analysed all had film titles that began

with ‘The’ and second word described the entire film in one word. This is how I began to find ideas for my film title resulting with ‘The

Tormented’.

Release dateMy product Existing product

The release date is essential in informing audiences when the film will be out publically to watch. Following the generic forms and

conventions of a trailer I placed the release date at the end of the trailer, however I did not give a specific date. I decided ‘coming soon’ was a way of enticing the audience leading them into more research about the film if they really wanted to watch it. Additionally I added the website URL’s under the title for both the production company and the film itself. Showing audiences they are able to access more

information on these websites increasing audience interaction.

Length of trailerThe conventional length of a trailer is about 2-3

minutes long. Therefore its very important to establish the main points of the film within the

trailer as well as gaining the audiences interest. From all the trailers I analysed The Conjuring is

2:29s, The Broken is 2:28, and The Unborn is 2:30s None of which exceed the conventional trailer

length. I made sure to follow these conventions by cutting out bad shots from my trailer which brought

the length down to 2:28s.

My poster conforms to the forms and conventions of existing film posters. Film

posters are another form of film promotion. Posters need to be iconic for audiences to

recognise and identify the genre of the film being promoted. Some general forms and

conventions of a film poster are: high image to text ratio, film title, actors, release date,

taglines and credits.

The three film posters which I analysed all had a portrait orientation. Although it is not completely unconventional, I decided to challenge this by producing a landscape poster for my film. This way I was able to fit two characters in the image, positioning them

correctly within the frame.

Existing product

My product

Main ImageThe main image is the first thing audiences or

passer-by’s see, therefore needs to be eye-catching, appealing to the eye and informative. Like existing horror film posters I tried to portray what the film is

about through the image. However unlike the posters I analysed I decided to have a grey scale image. As the colour black connotes fear, danger and the unknown whereas white connotes purity,

fragility and vulnerability. I thought the combination of the two colours to form a grey-ish image would

connote all these characteristics.

Title

Existing product

My product

The title is a generic convention of a film poster. It is one of the main focal points overall to inform audiences what is being advertised.

The title generally tends to have a distinctive font, this is for audiences to remember it as an iconic feature especially when

wanting to find out more about the film. On posters film titles have no conventional placing. It Is placed where it is in proportion to the rest of the poster and other text. The title is also the largest text on the page to ensure its bold and eye-catching for audiences to see.

Actors/Actresses

My product

Generally the names of actors are presented on film posters when actors are well known celebrities. This is a

way of attracting audiences if they like or already know the actor in the cast

of the film. From my researched I gathered that actors are usually

presented at the top or bottom of the page or sometimes in a random

arrangement if the genre can achieve this. However in the three posters I

analysed only one (The Broken) actually presented the actresses name which was placed at the bottom of the

poster above the title. I decided to place my actors in the middle of the poster underneath the title to create

another focal point of the poster.

Taglines

My product

Existing product

Taglines are used to help promote the product being advertised in this case the film. Taglines are usually a few words or

short sentence directed to the audience or to emphasize what the film’s about. For

example in The Unborn ‘It wants to be born now’. ‘Are you ready to face your fears?’ Is a

rhetorical question which I used as the tagline on my poster. The use of personal

pronouns is to direct the question to audiences and encourages them to find out the unknown answer by watching the film.

Date and Credits

My product

Existing product

I followed the generic codes and conventions of a film poster by adding the

release date and credits at the bottom of my poster. Credits are usually presented in very

small but legible font with the production company’s logo at either side and

sometimes the rating certificate. The font colour I chose blends into the poster so it

doesn’t draw audiences away from the main focal point of the poster. Additionally I

added a website to encourage audiences to increase audience interaction with the film for the use of finding out more information

about the film.

My magazine cover conforms to the forms and conventions of existing film magazines by

following the generic house style. Film magazines are another form of film promotion.

The front cover is very important when trying to attract customers. To ensure my magazine cover

was conventional I previously analysed professional existing products (Total film,

Empire, Entertainment) to gather research. In the end I decided to closely follow the generic conventions of the magazine ‘Empire’ for my

own product. Some general forms and conventions of a film magazine front cover are:

main image, masthead, buzz words, banner, barcode, date and issue number.

Following the conventions

Masthead is presented in the conventional Empire font in the largest font size and top third of the page.

Existing product

My product

Price, date and issue number

Conventional tagline

Barcode

Main imageBuzz words – “Exclusive”

Banner/Skyline

Main cover line

Cover lines

Here is a short comparison between one of Empire’s existing magazine covers and my own mimicked product. It is evident that based on my

research and analysis I have followed the generic codes and conventions of a typical Empire magazine front cover. However I decided to challenge a few of

these conventions.

Conventions I challenged

Existing product

My product

The buzz word ‘exclusive’ I used as a unique selling point for my magazine. As existing readers of

the magazine who know it is exclusive will feel the need to

buy this edition as one similar to it probably wont be issued again.

When first producing my magazine front cover I had

planned to place the ‘exclusive’ line underneath the main cover

line. However It didn’t work well as it was unreadable. After

asking a few peers I decided to place it under the masthead

where the font was more bold.

Unique selling point (USP)

Most magazines use a USP to attract a mass audience and to potential consumers. I used

a puff (a convention used in order to grab the audiences attention) this is to establish that the magazine is unique compared to any other. Also as they are able to ‘WIN!’

this is a great way to draw in audiences as they feel they are gaining more when

purchasing the magazine.