2. What are conventions?
• Conventions are elements that are typically included and involved in. In
this case as we are looking at the conventions of a teaser I believe that
it is the usual aspects that are demonstrated in all the teasers out
there!
• If conventions aren't followed then , it would simply not be a teaser.
• In order to succeed in this project the Surviving the Seshhh team would
of needed to follow the basic conventions!
• We had to refer back to our research, looking at the conventions and
making sure we follow to succeed.
3. Surviving The Seshhh
• In Surviving The Seshhh I believe that we have followed
the conventions very well. Through audience feedback
that was one of the comments which were mentioned
the most. Many people said that through lots of aspects
we have correctly edited our footage to turn it into a
teaser trailer.
• The three conventions that I will be looking at is
Format, Genre and Institutional conventions on all three
projects that I have created.
5. • One convention of teaser trailers are fast durations. I believe that we have successfully placed
that in our teaser Survivng The Seshhh. When editing we decided to cut clips in half an also speed
them up. Final Cut Pro gave us the accessibility to increase the pace on each clip that we placed on
the timeline if needed be. Even with the clips that are not speeded up, it is important that the
scenes were short and snappy so that we can match other teasers already made.
• Project X which shows a big party scene demonstrates short and fast durations within their teaser
too! We used this as inspiration for our own teaser thus being a significant part during the post
production stage.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BEIhA8CcY0&t=7s
• I believe we have done this convention well in our teaser trailer. Through target audience and
watching it back I believe that we have used a lot of quick shots of the party thus not revealing
too much of what is going on. We did this to excite the audience and deliver suspense as the
audience doesn't know exactly what is going on.
• However one thing we could of done to improve this convention is to use the digital technology
Final Cut Pro to add more effects onto the short clips so that it can look even more dramatic. The
short and snappy clips could have been more effective through this way.
• However overall our teaser contains various shots with a short duration meaning that we have
followed this convention.
Fast Durations – Teaser Trailer
6. Editing Techniques - Teaser Trailer
• By observing my research and looking at what I analysed, all teaser trailers have
specific editing techniques in their teaser. They all try to achieve Mise en Scene and
continuity which is crucial in making any video, film or teaser work. I believe that
our continuity was done well. Match on action which is within continuity was shown
though many ways such as someone pouring a drink or placing cards down onto a
table.
• We made sure that on the timeline of Final Cut , we cut clips down and placed them
next to each other to create a smooth transition and finish. What could be improved
was the scene on the right. Even though continuity was done , it does still look a
little off which means that we could of maybe gone back to it on the timeline and
maybe fixed it by a couple of seconds
7. • In addition I believe we have done Mise en Scene correctly as well. The group and I
were mostly impressed with the way that we managed to transform Castle Field
House into a party room that looks completely different. Along with location, we
managed to show who the characters are and their situation through facial
expressions. We added as many props as possible along with the costume to show
where they are and what is going on. It shows the significance of the Mise en Scene
and how important it can be to address to the audience what is going on.
8. • Overall I think that the group and I have been successful in using the convention of
editing techniques in Survivng The Seshhh. By looking at other examples such as
Nerve they use a lot of match on action and demonstrate Mise en Scene very well.
What we could of done to improve our Mise en Scene was to establish the location
of the school more. The point was to show isolation from Nadia not just at a party
but in school aswell thus maybe we could of illustrated more long shots of me alone
at college. Also along with continuity , having including other aspects such as the
180 degree rule between the two main characters. This could of given the teaser
more of a story line however I believe we still did that successfully with the shots
that we have already done.
• Apart from that I personally am happy with what we produced and in my opinion the
group and I did editing really well.
9. Sound – Teaser Trailer
• In a lot of teaser trailers , sound is one big convention as they all include almost a
very similar layout. Usually teasers include 2 or more soundtracks along with a voice
over or dialogue.
• The soundtrack has to relate a lot with the genre and that is what we wanted to
achieve.
Survivng The Seshhh followed the conventions of sound because:
• In the teaser we had the soundtrack changed and this had to happen in the software
Garage band due to the fact that most of the audio was made in this software. We
thought we would change it 3 times. One to open it with a piano, the middle party
scene to establish the location and then the third soundtrack to highlight the crime
being committed, It then eventually changes back to the party music again as we
thought it works well this way. It demonstrates how we have managed to make the
soundtrack similar to the structure of other teasers and we used this as a way to
deliver our story through the use of the non diegetic sound.
10. • We didn't want to add dialogue from the characters into the teaser as we
believe that our main focus was to emphasize the party. In my opinion
deciding to have a voice over at the beginning was more effective as the
background information of cyberbullying gives the audience an essence
of what would happen in the movie. Other examples of teasers that have
a voice over is ‘We Are Your Friends’.
• They add the characters voice in the beginning that demonstrates his
feeling which reflects on his aims in the film. The group and I wanted to
address what the film means and a good way to make it clearer is to use
a voice over.
• Overall I believe that we have done the sound convention successfully.
11. Text/Graphic – Teaser Trailer
• Regularly in a teaser trailer you have texts appearing when appropriate. I
believe that without any text it wouldn't be a teaser. It is used to help sell the
story to the audience along with providing information on what the film is
about and when it can potentially be released. To make ours more exciting we
decided to place ‘COMING SOON’ instead of a specific date as we can cause
anticipation from the audience.
• Furthermore texts complete a teaser thus making it a convention that the
group and I had to achieve. I believe that we have done this successfully as we
have incorporated as much as we can and also included reviews which makes
our film ’Survivng The Seshhh’ more professional. As we have established a
brand identity of red and a neon text , we tried to show that as much as we can
in the teaser thus having a good consistency from the text and throughout the
teaser.
12.
13.
14. • Something we could of done to improve the text was
maybe put the reviews in a neon text as well. This could
of helped make the teaser flow more easily and
demonstrate our brand identity more clearly. Usually
teasers have all their texts in the same style therefore
we may have not completed this convention successfully
as possible. On the other hand we still managed to use
text that illustrates a story and delivers suspense to the
audience which is what the main purpose was.
15. Poster Conventions
• In my research I discovered what a basic layout of a poster is.
Without certain aspects such as a billing block and titles it would not
look like a movie poster. We looked at good examples of other
posters from films that we believe relate to our teaser to learn and
gain inspiration for our poster ’Survivng The Seshhh’
• Through all the aspects I believe that the group and I have managed
to follow the conventions of a poster successfully. We made sure that
Survivng The Seshhh was big and bold along with featuring the
names involved , the tagline and most importantly the billing block.
Without creating the billing block it wouldn't’ look like a poster at
all. It has to give credit to all of the people involved in the film thus
being so vital .I believe having the tagline on the top saying ‘one
more shot’ is effective as it can draw more of the audience and invite
them into our story. All posters have a main image that usually fills
the cover. This main image of ours is the two characters Alexa and
Nadia which is crucial to demonstrate as it links significantly to the
teaser as well.
• Overall I believe that we have managed to follow the conventional
layout. All posters have a simplicity to it and has elements like a
billing block and a main image which the group and I have done too.
16. Magazine Conventions
The conventional layout of a magazine seems to be simple
but very busy. Most magazines have different different
layouts but usually include the same elements which mention
other movies, interviews and small gifts like ‘free posters’
ect…
When I looked at different companies such as Total Film,
Sights and Sound and Empire it reveals how they layout
differently therefore if we used a existing company we would
of demonstrated our magazine cover in a specific way.
However we decided to use our own magazine company such
as Limelight Productions. As we didn't’t have to follow a
certain structure we still looked at what usually is placed on
a magazine cover and did the best we possibly can to make it
as busy as possible.
17. • I believe what we have done well is follow the conventions of
a normal layout from a magazine cover. This is because of
how we have added many aspects to make it look realistic ,
including the smaller things such as the barcode and the
small catch phrases. Furthermore it is kept busy which is
what a magazine usually contains.
• What we could improve on is maybe add more elements to
the bottom. Our magazine is busy but by looking at other
examples it can have more included.
• In addition if I was to compare our magazine cover to others I
believe that we have followed the conventional layout
successfully.
19. Does our teaser trailer show the correct genre?
•Location- Survivng The Seshhh is a teen thriller and I believe that having
the locations of a school and a party was a good way to demonstrate the
environment that these teenagers are in. In addition a conventional teen
drama is usually based in locations of schools to highlight the youth within
the movies. This is what we wanted to address within the teaser as I believe
without the school scenes , only showing the party may not address that the
the two characters Nadia and Alexa as teenagers. We were influenced from
the movie as in ‘A Girl Like Her’ it also reveals the location in a school with
long shots and lots of POV shots highlighting them documenting their high
school experience.
• The group and I decided to do that as well but only show a couple of shots
in college with Nadia sitting by herself as this location wasn't the most
important.
22. Other examples with a teen drama having the
location of a schools.
CyberbullyThe Duff
Mean Girls
As you can see these are
teen dramas that have the
location of a school filled
with teenagers thus
demonstrating the youth.
23. • Overall I believe that the group and I have successfully managed to
emphasize that our story line has drama with the location between
teenagers however Surving the Seshhh is a teen thriller aswell as a
drama. This demonstrates that we maybe haven't shown the thriller side
of it as clear as possible with the conventional location.
• Referring back to my research a conventional layout of a thriller is
either isolated buildings, city centers or maybe everyday family homes.
As our two main settings were a party scene and a school this means
that we more representing a teen drama than a thriller.
Inception Shutter Island Taken
24. • I believe that normally on a teen thriller you would usually have a location to be
filled with young people however have a more serious setting. Our storyline is a
serious issue as we base it on being tricked and bullied however our location
doesn't establish how serious it is. Parties tend to be happy excited locations
therefore I believe that if I was to improve our teaser Surviving The Seshhh,
maybe we could of filmed some scenes demonstrating the isolation of Nadia at
home and edit it in a way that can highlight the thriller side to our genre.
25. Does our teaser trailer show the correct genre?
•Characters- Usually in a teen thriller/drama there is an antagonist and a
protagonist. The antagonist in Survivng The Seshhh is shown to be Alexa in the
teaser however this isn't the case due to someone controlling her. The conventions
of a antagonist in a thriller is someone who tends to have a hidden identity which
would eventually progress and be revealed as the film moves on. I believe we have
successfully demonstrated that in the teaser with the hand dropping a drug and text
messages that Alexa receives within the party.
• However before people watch the film and just see the teaser , they would think
Alexa is the antagonist due to the colours she wears which are red symbolizing
danger. A character like her is usually shown in a teen drama which shows how we
have matched the conventions to the drama side aswell.
26. •Characters- In Surviving The Seshhh we have also shown a Protagonist as well.
We haven't quite shown the protagonist that usually is shown in thrillers which is
’an ordinary man placed in a situation’ however we went to the drama side of the
genre and were inspired by all other teen dramas out there with a female
protagonist suffering from isolation. Again ’A Girl Like Her’ is a primary example of
what the group and I looked at and also Cyberbully.
• In these 2 teen dramas you have two girls struggling from bullying and being
tricked. This is what happens to Nadia as in the teaser ,when it says ‘You’re
Invited’, this is a way for us to show to the audience the cause of the big death that
will happen to Nadia.
Jessica Burns Taylor Hillridge
27. Overall this demonstrates that we have included the conventional representation of
characters in the teaser. It demonstrates the sub genres well as the antagonists have
a typical representation from a thriller and a teen drama. The protagonist has the
typical representation from a teen drama Nadia shows vulnrability.
28. Does our teaser trailer show the correct genre?
•Narative- Usually in a thriller , the anatagonist puts the protagonist in a
horrible situation. This is what we decided to show in Survivng The Seshhh.
Usually the protagonist does whatever they can to avoid the situation however
here the protagonist dies. This demonstrates the differentiation from other story
to other thriller however this can usually happen in teen dramas which is why I
believe we have followed the conventions well. I believe that the protagonist
dying is a good way to show the consequence and impact of cyberbullying to the
audience therefore I believe that having Nadia die is a good idea.
29. Does our teaser trailer show the correct genre?
• Iconography- Usually in teen dramas you see props such as phones
which are demonstrated a lot. This is due to the fact that most
teenagers would show their stereotypical representation which is to be
attached on their phones.
• This we highlighted in Surviving The Seshhh too.
30. Does the poster show the correct genre?
Within the poster you can see we have
incorporated as many colours however our main
colour is red due to the title being red. This is
our brand identity and highlights many things
such as danger, blood ect…
I believe that this follows the conventional
representation of a thriller as you would
normally see mystery, suspense and a little
action which results in injury or death. I can
think of many examples such as:
• Taken
• The Bourne Identity
These all are typical thrillers that lead to an
outcome resulting in blood.
If I was to link it to a teen drama I would be able
to say that the poster has a better representation
to a teen drama than a thriller. It involves two
teenage girls along with a bright colourful
background to represent the party lights.
31. • Normally in a thriller poster it is more darker than a teen
drama poster.
Therefore I believe that our poster mostly
shows the teen drama side than the thriller
side. We do show that aspect of a thriller
through the title (portrayed in red) however if I
was to improve it I would maybe add more
darker colours to emphasize to the audience
that Surviving The Seshhh isn't just a girly film.
We could of change the picture as well which
illustrates the serious side to a movie instead.
32. Does the magazine show the correct genre?
• I believe out of our print work that
demonstrated our genre more was the
magazine. It highlights a teen genre as the
main image Abi, the phone and the dress
conveys youth and excitement. Her pose
highlights the typical image you would get from
a teen drama and the colours plus tagline’ Live
For , Die For’ reveals how serious the story can
go as it is a life or death situation. The cover
doesn't look childish and instead looks
dramatic. It gives more of a scarier essence
than the poster.
34. • Depending on what company the film is from or how it is made, it can
effect the way a film is marketed.
• Films from high organizations and popular companies like Warner Bro,
Universal and Lionsgate will tend to be marketed well as they have a lot
more money than other films that are more low budgeted.
• High Budget Films:
Here is a high budget film, it is
presented in a way where they
have put a lot of money in the
film due to the special effects in
the teaser.
Low Budget Films:
In cyberbully it is a low
budget film. You can tell by
the way that there was
limited marketing campaigns
and their teaser was seen to
be more simple in comparison
to the hunger games teaser
trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk_YSO0p
y7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlMCE-
A-RrI
35. In my opinion Survivng The Seshhh has followed
the conventions of how a high budget film is
demonstrated.
They usually have features on magazines which
we have. Adding quotes on our cover like ‘ First
Interview with Ayesha Pervaiz’ demonstrates how
professional and high profile the film can get.
This also happens from high budget films not low
budget films.
This poster is bright, colourful and clear.
Most posters have similar elements however
some high budget films release more than
one poster. This could highlight how as we
have only made one, that we haven't
reached the institutional convention as well
for the poster.
36. What we have done to our teaser trailer to follow the
institutional conventions is:
Release our teaser on YouTube! (Most trailers or
teaser are released on YouTube) Big successful films
like –
37. Overall…
• I have looked at all the conventions of the teaser and print work. This includes
Format, Genre and Institutional Conventions. I believe that the overall Surviving The
Seshhh has followed the majority of the conventions. Through Format we have made
sure that our research would help us as much as we can to make sure that we do
what typically happens in teasers such as fast durations, soundtracks/voice overs,
texts etc…
• During my research and planning I managed to learn what usually happens in teen
thrillers/ dramas. Through different aspects such as narrative , setting ect.. We have
adapted that to Surviving The Seshhh so that we can also create a successful teaser.
This was highlighted in the poster as well with the use of colour and presentation
to highlight the genre.
• There were some critisisms however minor ones. No project is perfect and we can
learn from these mistake and build ideas for future tasks.
