1. Q1
In what ways does your media
product use, develop or
challenge forms
and conventions of real media
products?
•Thriller theatrical trailer
•Film poster
•Film magazine front cover

2. Thriller theatrical trailer
I had to conduct some research before I could start planning and producing my thriller trailer so I began to look at existing film trailers on YouTube to help me
identify the conventions of a thriller trailer that I could develop and challenge them in my trailer. I started to do so textual research on 2 thriller trailers and
one action trailer, to ensure that my research was impartial so that I could gain a broad knowledge about the conventions used in a trailer, which I could
challenge by finding out what aspects that I would be appropriate to benefit my own trailer. The films below are the trailer that I analysed:
I was able to examine and compare the convention of this action trailer to the
thriller trailers and gain a better knowledge to effective use the conventions in
order to appeal to my target audience and avoid any possible issue that may
affect my trailer.
The difference s I’ve noticed in this action trailer that are:
•Mid violence and fighting scenes
•Clear and straight plot
•Costumes are exaggerated an larger than life
•The lighting is clear and bright
The conventions I discovered from theses thriller trailers:
• Ambiguous and complex plot
• Use of dull lighting and dark colours
• No particular evil characters highlighted but hints that there is a antagonist
• Film title at the end
• Uses the film producers, actors and director as a USP I used a few of these convention in my
• No blood or death thriller trailer because some of them
• Black outs didn’t wasn’t suitable for my thriller
• Montage of shots from various points in the film, edited together is used to highlight trailer since didn't go well with my
the most dramatic, fast-paced aspects of the film shown in the middle of the trailer narrative and structure of e.g. Bright
lighting, exaggerated costumes, using
• Narrative relates to Torodov and Levi Strauss: actors as a USP
Shows a two part structure out of the three – Equilibrium (balanced state) and
disequilibrium (dilemma)
Some aspect of binary opposition shown e.g. Good/Evil, Youth/Elders,
Chaos(end)/Peace(beginning)
• Ordinary clothing
• Music gradually increases and becomes intense and dramatic

3. Using the conventions in
my trailer Once I finished analysing the trailer and conduct all other the research (audience and institution research) and input
them in my planning I was able to gather a clear idea for my trailer and began to apply the conventions towards
my filmmaking
I applied the conventions to:
• Create an ambiguous plot: I didn't want my trailer to be too complex because I feel that it can put off my target audience so I decided to make a
trailer have a linear narrative similar to ‘Super 8’ where I would also add a montage of shots from various points in the film, and edit them together
to highlight the most dramatic of the film and show them in the middle of the trailer. I had to change my narrative and redraft my storyboard couple
times to get the narrative and structure right because I want to ensure that the conventions would be fitted together adequately such as, I had two
set of different music so I had to carefully edit my shot together to set the correct atmosphere (beginning – mellow and calm) and (middle and
ending – gradually becomes intense). I use the narrative theories from Torodov and Levi Strauss to help me with the structure which is to show:
 two part structure out of the three – Equilibrium (balanced state) and disequilibrium (dilemma)
 binary opposition e.g. Good/Evil, Light/Dark, Life/Death
 Planning section shows and explains why I changed my initial ideas in detail. http://yunga2mediacoursework.blogspot.com/p/research-and-
planning.html
 The construction shows what I have added and experiment in my trailer which lead to my final product
http://yunga2mediacoursework.blogspot.com/p/construction.html
• The use of dull lighting and dark colours: I noticed in the thriller trailers that the lighting can impact the atmosphere and mise-en-scene
therefore I had to be careful to ensure that my trailer show a clear distinct difference between a horror and thriller so I decided to have a mixture of
lighting to support me. I research and used the Twilight trailers as reference due to the fact it had an influence to my idea and I want use it to help me
create a gloomy effect instead a sinister atmosphere so I only used a blackout once in my trailer which was the end to impulse the audience and used
as a cliff-hanger which is a convention of thriller.
 Twilight trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxjNDE2fMjI&feature=player_embedded
• Characters and costumes: I didn’t want my trailer to include or create larger than life character like in action or horror films, and made it more
down to earth with an supernatural character (vampire) in my thriller to make interesting and attract my target audience because I found out that in
my audience research that supernatural has become popular so I decide include it in my trailer. Also the thriller trailers that I analysed had ordinary
clothing and I realised that thriller film are more focused on the plot than the costumes and special effect, so I made sure that the locations, actors,
and props were realistic and reasonable.
 The planning my of trailer http://www.slideshare.net/YouWouldThankMeLater/planning-my-theatrical-trailer-10578825?player=js

4. Film poster
Before sketching my film poster I had to look at different existing film posters and analysis a particular poster that I would want to use, which
I feel that will attract my target audience effectively. Also it would help me identify the conventions that will help create an eye catching
poster These are the film posters that I’ve looked at:
Looking at these poster I’ve already
noticed that the typography and image
is simple with colour co-ordinated text
which gave me an idea how to layout
my text, image, font, and the
industrial information at the bottom.
I analysed the ‘Super 8’ poster to help me get a visual and verbal message where to position the conventions on my poster and I realise that
arranging them correctly is crucial in order to put a point across to the audience effectively and efficiently as possible, because there is a
particular pattern shown on these posters and where the would place the text e.g. The industrial information: bottom ,the title: top or
bottom never in the middle, image focus point: middle. Also the colour schemes tends to be have a theme such as, darkness, purity,
chaos, evil, which made me decide that I would be using red, white black and grey to convey a dark and ambiguous message.
The film poster conventions I discovered:
• Film title has the biggest font size
• Image contains a few special effect and high quality photography
• Industrial information has the smallest font size
• Taglines tends to be placed near the film title to attract the viewer
• Either a close up or long shot of the image
• A particular colour scheme to convey a message e.g. Red, black, white: sinister, darkness, lust
• Distribution and production company logo
After finding out these conventions I immediate started to sketch my the layout of poster and use it to design on Photoshop CS4 and I used
‘American Beauty’ as a reference to help me create and position the conventions.

5. I applied the conventions on my film poster and
My film poster use ‘American Beauty’ to help arrange the
components
The production company
The title is above the film title to
positioned in a give the company
vertical format so it recognition
is legible and
readable
Simple and effective colour scheme
The image also have red, black and white.
the colour scheme to
display a mysterious  The black express a dark and
and dangerous mysterious element about the
message to the film
audience
 The white shows the opposite
Tagline to attract the meaning to the black which is
audiences attention innocence and purity of the
and use it to notify character, thus is helps me
them the release date create an ambiguous message
of my film
 The red shows anger, lust and
danger that represent the
character because is her past is
hidden that holds a menacing
secret
The industrial information on the
bottom right of poster
because I want the image to
be main attention and try to
make it effective as possible
by placing the industrial
information to the side so it
can appeal and bring out the
The production and distribution company at the bottom left of my poster and the age image to the audience
certification on the right and the place them separately because I want to have a sense of successfully
balance on both sides of the poster to prevent the audience attention being pulled away
from the image.

6. Film magazine front I had to make sure that my understanding for a film magazine front cover was
sufficient enough for me to produce my own front cover would have the same
standard as the official Empire magazine, therefore I began to analyse the cover
cover and discovering the typical convections and planning how I could lay them out.
Once I finished analysing the front cover I
moved on and started to gather different
magazine issues that ‘Empire’ has produce
in the past years, so I could gather
inspiration and use to it help me design
my front cover in addition with the
conventions that I found out during my
analysis I decide to include a mix of
different information from each ‘Empire’
issue and extract the effective and
appealing magazine convention to use it
and add in my front cover.
The conventions I extracted from the issues on
the left hand side:
• ‘PLUS!’ cover line
I randomly selected the ‘Inception’ magazine issue to just find out the typical conventions of a front cover • The photography previews
magazine so I could use them to apply it to my own work and realised that the magazine front cover uses many • Featured films
conventions to attract the target audience such as: • Interview information
• Big bold letters • Taglines
• Exclamation marks • Price, date and slogan
• Bright colours
• Colour schemes that represents the character and ties in with the genre e.g. Inception, red– danger, power, I began to sketch my first magazine front
black – authority cover and added all the different
conventions I filter from the different
• Many mid-shot and close up of the character that is use to attract the audience magazine shown above, however I change
• Other cover lines to show what different exciting features that the magazine contains because the image was similar to my film
poster and sketch another image that
• Date and price is listed above the logo
would be more appropriate for the cover.
• strong use of typography to enhance the text and grab the audience attention (The link would explain more in depth
• Bar code why I redraft my front cover
http://www.slideshare.net/YouWouldTha
nkMeLater/planning-my-film-poster-and-
magazine-cover-10592500?player=js)

7. My magazine front cover I’ve included all the conventions onto my
front cover and use d the Will Smith the
Date and price magazine issue that influence me to
design my magazine cover like this ,
which I feel that it helped create a both
effective verbal and visual message to the
Website is shown audience
for audience that
are interested to Different font size to
Slogan
find out more represent the
information level of
significance e.g.
The film title =
I had to make sure that Glowing effect to main attraction
all of the other feature make the text stand
would affect the image out
so I carefully placed The colour scheme helps bring
them around the cover Tagline use to out the genre of my film and
appeal and tie in the cloudy support the
where think which
with the genre of mysterious effect
would be the effective the film
place to position them
Both protagonist and antagonist side
in
by side (Vladimir Propp) character
Previews and
types villain and hero
photographs use
to attract the *Image is the main USP of the magazine
audience
Film features to show what
other articles that the
Exclusive feature magazine holds
helps impulse the
viewer to buy the
issue and used as a Bar code typical convention
USP back up of a magazine cover