1. In what ways does your media product,
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
2. From the beginning of my coursework I have relied
on my research into the ‘Crime/Thriller’ genre to
help me detect suitable codes and conventions that
I may be able to use in my own final products which
would enable them to look more professional and
realistic. I ensured that all three of my final
products met the needs of my target audience and I
also made sure that they all fit into the genre of
‘Crime/Thriller’ by following the specific
conventions yet at the same time developing them
and challenging them to make my trailer more
unique and identifiable.
3. For our trailer we analysed various existing trailers
as a group which would allow us to identify the
general conventions for a trailer. This would help us
when we are filming our own. The trailers we
analysed were genre specific because at the
beginning we either wanted to do a crime or a
thriller. However after the trailer analysis we figured
that we would combine the two genres together
and this would create a wider audience for our
trailer, it would be a selling point for the film
because it includes aspects of both genres.
9. As a group we had researched into many existing movie genres for example,
horror, comedy, romance, drama etc. After carrying out research into
different movie genres, me and my group decided to merge two genres
together, the genres were Crime and Thriller. We decided to combine these
two genres as the conventions within them had attracted us as a group to use
in one film together. We have used the conventions of both of these genres
within our trailer. Both of the genres have an element of mystery and
suspense in them. So, even though they are two different types, they work
very well in conjunction with one another. We gained inspiration from existing
products to help us with our trailer.
10.
11. The crime/thriller genre begins in the trailer where Shiwa is texting. This scene shows the
genre of the movie as the scene looks mysterious with a close-up of her eye and as she is
texting alternating one after the other. Through her serious and focused expression it is clear
to the audience that her mood has changed from the previous scene where she was crying
and making the audience aware of her vulnerability but because she is asking for a favour
there is still an aspect of her helplessness showing through but she is well aware of what she
is doing suggesting that there is another side to her character which is shining through. The
genre is also visible through what Shiwa is typing claiming “I need a favour” is a
straightforward statement which brings an element of thrill to the story as it makes the
audience wonder who she is texting and why?
12. In this scene we have also made the genre identifiable for the audience. This scene came
immediately after the texting scene and it introduces a new character into the plot. The new
characters face is not showing as the scene is filmed in an over the shoulder shot which further
puts the audience on their feet as they want to know who this person is. From the dialogue in
the scene the audience are now aware of what the ‘favour’ was as Shiwa says “ Make sure she is
gone by tomorrow”. This is the exact part where the audience know that Shiwa is most likely
talking about her sister Sarah to a mysterious man who is in on the plan to help Shiwa make
Sarah disappear. This highlights the genre again as a convention is followed from an existing
crime/thriller genre where the main character plans to kill a character in the film. Also, Shiwa’s
serious expression carries on from the previous scene, her direct eye contact with the unknown
character shows that she is stern on her decision. This further makes the audience question
what events will take place next which is generally the case in existing crime/thriller trailers as
well. Suspense is key which is what we have included in our trailer too.
13. The handshake scene is another way we have shown the genre in our trailer. The point of
view shot seems like the camera is looking through the eyes of the unknown character.
This scene again adds an element of mystery because the audience have been made aware
that there is an agreement between the two characters. There is a sense of anticipation
because the upcoming events are unpredictable in the trailer.
In the following scene there is a zoom in of a rock that appears with the unknown
character holding it. This is where we have followed the convention of using a weapon in
our trailer, the rock was used as a weapon to kill Shiwa in the plot. Also, from seeing the
rock the audience are able to relate back to the voiceover of the detective at the beginning
of the trailer where he states “…This person has been hit with a rock!” this again creates
suspense in the trailer and puts the audience on edge for upcoming action. However, little
do they know that there will be a twist.
14. Immediately after appears the scene where Shiwa stands in shock as she sees something.
The audience would assume it is the rock as her gaze lowers and she looks right back up
again and begins to run. She screams after seeing the unknown character. This emphasises
the thrill in the trailer. The running scene after the previous scene indicates crime/thriller
too, as the audience are aware that a crime is about to take place. Shiwa running alone in
the forest shows that she is helpless. The setting is isolated and adds to the thrill seeking
scene. Generally in a crime/thriller trailer the main character is trying to get away from
danger and we have shown this within this particular scene. This whole plot twist fits well
with the genre of the trailer as it is unexpected and shocks the audience.
15. Altogether we included the appearance of three characters in
our trailer. Shiwa, Sarah and the killer. We included these
three characters as they had the most significance in the plot.
We wanted our storyline to be clear and easy to follow but at
the same time we did not want it to give away too much of
the narrative. We only see the two female characters in the
trailer. We deliberately did this so that the thrill and
excitement of seeing the killers face is in the audiences mind.
Another reason why is to show the main characters in the
trailer which are Shiwa and Sarah, and to make it easy to
identify for the audience that they are the ones to watch out
for when viewing the actual movie. This is a convention we
used in our trailer because usually in Crime/Thriller trailers,
the main characters are visible.
16. Shiwa is the main character in the plot.
The audience should be made to
sympathise with her whilst watching
the trailer. We challenged the general
convention of a male being the
dominant character in the film. This
was a technique used to attract more
females to watch our film which is the
reason why our film is targeted
towards both males and females.
17. The typical conventions of a narrative in a trailer begins with the
opening then, there is a build-up towards the issues and
dilemmas faced by the characters which is after followed by the
events or the action that takes place. For our trailer we made
sure that the storyline was easy to understand for our audience
as we did not complicate it. However, at the same time we did
not give away too much of the storyline. We included action but
not as much that may be seen in a Crime/Thriller trailer. This is a
convention that we developed to fit our trailer and make it more
attractive for our audience. As a group we made sure the
storyline and narrative linked well with the genre. We wanted to
make the narrative the focus as well as the characters. We
ensured that our trailer was easy to follow by using the typical
conventions of a narrative and splitting the trailer into the four
main categories.
18. In the opening of our trailer we have introduced the audience to the crime scene. By
introducing this at the beginning we have made it visible that we are setting the scene
for the audience and that the trailer will be related to crime so that it can attract the
target audience quickly. The trailer starts with the voiceover of the detective where he
says, “This is not a suicide, this is a murder! This person has been hit with a rock!” as he
is saying this the actors name appears which is one of the unique selling points in our
trailer. He is a famous actor so the people who like the specific actor would generally like
to see his films. The fact that his name is mentioned at the beginning shows that he is a
significant character in the film.
19. In the opening again we have used the consistent theme of showing the audience
who the main stars are in the film. The argument scene follows up after the
beginning crime scene which may indicate to the audience that there has been an
involvement of one of these characters however, we have not given that away in the
opening of our trailer. Within this specific scene the audience are introduced to the
two main female characters in the trailer, the actresses names are appearing on the
screen whilst they are arguing with each other which may suggest that there is a
rivalry between them and they are the two to look out for in the film. From the
dialogue in the scene the audience are able to understand the plot a little more and
that there has been an aspect of betrayal which has taken place. The audience also
find out that the two characters are sisters from the dialogue in the scene.
20. The build-up in the trailer takes place where the happy scenes of the two sisters are visible to
the audience. This allows the audience to identify with the characters again and allows them
to build on the storyline that they may have already predicted. The scenes have been put in
place to make the audience aware that the two sisters were living happy lives until
‘deception’ played a role and made their relationship sour. The scenes add an element of
emotions into the trailer and makes the audience want to sympathise with the character. This
links with the film title and overall storyline. The fact that these two actresses are shown
again in the trailer suggests that they are the main characters in the film which is a
convention we have followed to make it easier for our audience to identify the characters.
These scenes build-up on the suspense because the audience will question why Sarah had an
affair with Shiwa’s husband and what will be the consequences of it. (how will Shiwa get
revenge?)
21. The dilemma in the trailer takes place where Shiwa begins to ask a favour
to a person who has not yet been mentioned in the trailer. The audience
see Shiwa looking distressed in the crying scenes where she is sitting
down in a dark, isolated room showing that she has a problem and needs
someone to help her solve it. This highlights her vulnerability which
allows the audience to sympathise with her. These scenes would make
the audience question why Shiwa is asking for help, and whether or not
her problem will be resolved?
22. The action takes place in our trailer straight after Shiwa and the unknown
character shake hands. Action is a vital part in our trailer because at this point
the plot twist takes place. The action takes place just before the ending of the
trailer which is a convention we have followed in our trailer.
23. The events take place after the action. We have put these in black and
white as they appear on the screen to show that these are yet to take
place in the actual film. This is a convention that is followed in trailers
which we have also used. The events include the unknown character
picking up his phone, the next scene is of Shiwa distressed from a
high angle in a different setting, another scene is of Sarah and Shiwa
walking through a path in the woods to show that they are happy.
Also, to conclude the trailer we showed the dead body again similar
to the beginning of the trailer. This is also another convention that we
have seen in film trailers.
24. The unique selling points in our trailer are used to grip
the audience and make the film appear more appealing
to them. We have used the unique selling points
effectively in our trailer because they help make our
final product look more attractive and realistic which
would then make the audience want to watch the
actual movie. We have used many conventions from
existing products which we have used as inspiration for
our own product.
25. The first selling point in our trailer are the main characters. This is a
convention that almost all crime/thriller trailers follow so we used this to
inspire our own trailer. We added the names of the actors/actresses as
they first appear on the screen. This shows that they are the main stars in
this film and the audience are able to identify that. This is a way of selling
the film because if there are actors/actresses in the film that the
audience like watching it would mean that they are most likely going to
watch the actual film due to the characters that are performing in it. Also,
they would be able to predict the genre of the film because generally a
specific actor mostly stars in a specific genre.
26. The second selling point in our trailer is the dialogue and voiceover used. The voiceover
at the beginning of the trailer entices the audience by grabbing their attention right at
the start. The voiceover is the voice of one of the main stars in the film. This a convention
we have followed from existing crime/thriller trailers. We deliberately did not physically
show the actor in the trailer so that it bugs the audience to watch the actual film to see
the role that he is going to play. The dialogue in our trailer is very audience specific, they
are normal everyday people with a British accent. The arguing scene lures the audience
in because they want to know more about the plot and what will be the consequences of
Sarah deceiving her sister. The language used is very touching yet straightforward
showing that the audience can relate to it. There is very little dialogue used but it is
effective. This is another convention that most crime/thriller trailers have.
27. The target audience for our trailer would be 18-30 year old male
and females. We conducted research into our target audience by
researching into our genre. We discovered that young adults
would mostly go to watch a film in the crime/thriller genre. But,
from our results we also obtained that the genre would mostly
attract males. However, in our trailer we challenged this
convention by using female characters as having the main roles.
This is so that the females would be more influenced to watch this
film because the leading characters are females. In trailers there is
a lot of fast paced editing and action taking place which may be
the reason why men are more inclined to watch the films in this
genre. We used the certificate rating of 15 for our trailer as it
would not be suitable for viewers younger than this age. This is
because our film contains strong language and violent scenes
which a person younger than the age of 15 cannot watch.
28. We have used various camera angles and shots to make
our trailer more attractive to the audience. We ensured
that we used the correct equipment to film our trailer
and be able to show the different angles distinctively. We
analysed several trailers and identified the camera angles
that they had used, we found that the most common
angles and shots used were, the establishing shot, high
angle shots, wide shots, extreme close-ups, establishing
shots, shot reverse shot, point of view shots and medium
shots. These different shots are used to make the trailer
more interesting to view and so that it flows effectively.
29. The camera angles and shots used for the dead body were used to reveal the body slowly to the target
audience. The trailer begins with an extreme close-up of the dead body, then it zooms out to a close-up
of the body and then finally zooms out once again to just a long shot of the dead body. This process was
used effectively to show the dead body to the audience not at once but in different, short shots.
In the argument scene which followed shortly after the dead body, we used shot reverse shots and a
two shot. This is to show the conversation between the two characters and to view their expressions
clearly. We used the two shot to highlight the relationship between the two characters together in this
scene and the way they are standing far apart suggesting they do not like each other anymore.
30. We then used a wide shot which established the scene to show where the two sisters are walking in the
woods, which foreshadows the events that will take place later on in the trailer. Also, the audience are able
to identify that the dead body was placed there as it was shown at the beginning of the trailer. Again, we
used a wide two shot to show the relationship between the two sisters however, in this scene they are
sitting close together and laughing which highlights the change in their relationship after the incident.
In the crying scene which happens after, there is a slight high angle shot of Shiwa crying. The camera is
placed above Shiwa making her look timid sitting in a corner and crying. This emphasises her vulnerability
and makes the audience sympathise with her because she is helpless and heartbroken after her sister and
husband deceived her
31. In the texting scene followed after the crying scene, Shiwa is asking for a favour from an unknown
character. We used an extreme close-up of Shiwa’s eye to signify that she knows exactly what she is doing
and it shows the seriousness in her eyes. Then we alternated between the eye and Shiwa texting. We
used a close-up of Shiwa’s phone whilst she is texting so that the audience know what she writing
because there is no dialogue or voiceover.
In the next scene, we used an over the shoulder shot from the unknown characters shoulder to show
Shiwa’s face. This highlights that she is making decision and is confident about it. Also, we used an over the
shoulder shot to hide the identity of the unknown character by not showing his facial appearance so that it
brings an element of mystery in the trailer. We used a point of view shot to show the hand shake between
the two characters and to show the audience that the decision has been made.
32. Near the end of the trailer we included an establishing shot to show the location of
where some of the important events had taken place for example, the dead body and
Shiwa and Sarah talking and walking happily with one another. Another shot we used
near the end of our trailer is a birds eye view show. This is similar to high angle shot.
We used this in the trailer to show that Shiwa is vulnerable and alone and she needs
someone to help her. It shows that she vulnerable .
33. Sound
Sound is very important within a trailer. It
engages the audience which makes them want
to watch the actual film. Almost all trailers have
sound within them. This is so that the viewing
experience is not boring, where there is more
action taking place, the music is more upbeat
and fast paced however, when there are
emotional scenes the music tempo is slow and
enticing.
34. The soundtrack in the background is non-diegetic. We chose to use the instrumental version
of ‘Recovery’ by James Arthur for the background music. This is because the music at the
beginning of the song is very slow and mysterious, as the music heightens it creates a sense
of suspense for the audience when they are watching the trailer which fits into the
crime/thriller genre. We used the most upbeat part of the song where the chase scene had
taken place. This was to show action and add an element of adrenaline so the audience can
almost feel the way Shiwa is feeling whilst running and trying to get away. This is a
convention we have followed as many crime/thriller trailers have heightened music in the
scenes where there is action taking place.
35. We used very minimal dialogue in our trailer. We thought the events taking place were very
self explanatory and we did not want to distract the audience from the acting and camera
angles/shots by including excessive dialogue. We used dialogue in the scenes where we
wanted the audience to understand the plot a little more clearly. For example, in the scene
where Shiwa and Sarah were arguing and in the scene where the unknown character and
Shiwa make an agreement. This is all the dialogue in our trailer. We followed this
convention as it is used in many existing trailers. We also used a voiceover in our trailer to
highlight the fact that a famous actor is starring in our film.
36. We included many different features of costume,
lighting, action, make-up, props and settings within
our trailer so that it is more attractive for our target
audience. If the trailer appears attractive due to
these main aspects then our film will be popular
amongst the audience meaning that it is a success.
The trailer is a form of advertisement for the film as
it is showing the eye-catching parts in the film so
that it grips the audience. This is why the
conventions of mise-en-scene are important within
a trailer.
37. We altered through many different lighting in our trailer so that the scene is set for
the audience. During the first part of our trailer in the argument scenes we used
artificial lighting from a light source which was a lamp. This gave the trailer a homely
vibe showing that they are arguing at home and not publicly. Then in the trailer we
move to natural daylight to show the happy scenes in the trailer. We then move back
into the house where there is no artificial light however there is light peeping in
from a window. The overall atmosphere in the room is dark and gloomy where Shiwa
is crying. Finally, in the action scenes the natural lighting is very dark and shows
suspense where Shiwa is running alone.
38. The rock in our trailer is the main prop we have used. This is because the rock
has been used as a weapon to kill someone. The next most important prop we
have used is mobile phones. We used the phones in our trailer so that the
unknown character and Shiwa are able to communicate. We also used black bags
to put clothes into the bags to form a dead body to place in the woods. We used
cones to place around the dead body. These props fit in very well with our genre
which is why we have included them in our trailer. This is another convention we
have followed.
39. The main scenes in our trailer take place in the woods. However, we have used
many other different settings such as in a house and in a park on the bench. These
scenes show the moods of the characters, some scenes are happy whereas other
scenes are negative. Each scene has different action taking place. We have used
different setting to grab the audiences attention so they do not get bored of the
trailer only being filmed in one setting.
40. The credits and intertitles we have used in our trailer
indicate the main events taking place.
The intertitles help tell the storyline to the audience so
that the trailer does not appear confusing. This is why we
have followed the general convention of using them in
our trailer too as it guides the thoughts of the audience.
The credits in our trailer are used to show the names of
the main actors/actresses in our trailer which would allow
the audience to identify them. We have also added the
final credits at the end of our trailer which includes the
name of the producers and editors and actors/actresses
in the film which is a convention we have followed
because most trailers have credits at the end.
41. The intertitles in the trailer elaborate on what is happening in the scenes which
gives the audience a more realistic feel about the storyline. We cleverly used the
inspiration of a countdown in the intertitles e.g. Two Happy Sisters… One Death,
No Proof. This may emphasise that something is coming to an end and that it
may be Shiwa’s life.
42. The end credits in the trailer makes the audience aware of the producers of the
film. It also includes the names of the actors/actresses in the trailer and the
production company and film distributor logos. This is because if the audience
prefer a certain producer or actor/actress then they will be made aware of it in
the final credits which would then make them want to watch the actual film.
43. The production company and film distributor logos are shown at the
beginning of the trailer. This is to show the audience who produced and
distributed the movie so that if they like the specific company then they
may want to watch the film when it is released. We used famous companies
such as Legendary pictures and Warner Bro’s. Movies from these companies
are usually a success as they can afford to budget good quality films. This
would show the audience that our film will be of a good quality as it is
supported by a big company.
44. The length of our trailer is 2 minutes and 9 seconds. Trailers are
generally around 2 to 3 minutes long so our trailer fits into that
designated time. Trailers are short so that they do not bore the
audience. They do not give too much of the story line away and
keep the audience on their feet. We followed this convention and
tried to make our trailer as similar as possible to an existing
product.
45. The film title appears at the end of the trailer. This is a convention
almost all trailers have in common so, we had also used this idea too.
The title is big and bold against the black background which makes it
stand out and attract the audience. Titles usually fit into the genre of
the film by using specific colours and text. We used black and yellow
and made the border of the title look like a police tape which fits into
our genre of crime/thriller. Also, it fits into the house-style of the
other two products.
46. The release date for our trailer is ‘COMING SOON’ we decided to use this
rather than an actual date because it keeps the audience waiting and
allows them to keep check on when the actual film will be released. By
using ‘COMING SOON’ it makes the audience eager to find out so they
know when the film will be released.
