Hierarchy of management that covers different levels of management
In what ways does your media product use
1. In what ways does
your media product
use, develop or
challenge forms and
conventions of real
media products?
2. • When starting A2 I looked at many different genres, such as social
realism, horror/thriller and coming off age romantic comedies. None
held my interest like the Film Noir genre. Researching into it I found
there to be a considerable amount of things that I could use, such as
the interesting camera angles, transitions and sound. My trailer
would also be unique.
3. The genre for my trailer is Film Noir. These are some of
the conventions that I needed to add to make sure it is
explicit to the target audience that it fits into this genre:
• Characters: Femme fatales, detectives, alienated
protagonists, corrupt cops and misogynistic men
• Visual style: low key lighting, shadows, dutch angle shots,
low angle shots, wide angle lenses
• Iconography: dark sidewalks, rain drenched streets, city is
hostile, guns and drench coats
• Narrative devices: voice over narration, first person
narrative
4. Genre theory
• Neale - 'It's difficult to make clear cut distinctions between
one genre and another: Genres overlap.' - In regards to
my trailer, even though it is a Noir film there is also
elements of a crime drama and a thriller.
• Todorov's narrative theory - He suggested that storylines
begin with an equilibrium or status quo where any
potential opposing forces are in balance.This is then
disrupted by some sort of event, and then the ending
tries to solve these problems so the order can be
restored in the world of fiction.
6. Examples of how my trailer conforms
to a film noir trailer
I used many of the typical
locations found in a noir film,
such as a dark alley. This is to
create a dark and tense
atmosphere as the alley looks
gloomy, this effect is also
emphasised in the weather, the
rain.
I use a lot of canted angle
shots in my trailer. In the film
noir’s these shots are used to
create tension and unease. I
wanted to reflect this in my
trailer. I use these specific
shots when the femme fatale
character is on screen, this
then creates unease whenever
she is in shot. This shot further
emphasises the detective’s
7. I have used the popular characters
in a film noir; a detective, who has
been corrupt, and a femme fatale.
A femme fatale is a character of a
mysterious and seductive woman
whose charms ensnare her lovers,
often leading them into
compromising, dangerous, and deadly
situations. A femme fatale tries to
achieve her hidden purpose by using
feminine wiles such as beauty,
charm, and sexual allure. In some
situations, she uses lies rather than
charm. They are typically villainous
and always associated with a sense
of mystification and unease. I wanted
my female actress to portray a
typical femme fatale found in film
noir’s. I used shots such as dutch
angled shots to convey her
mysterious persona and to create
Detectives are the typical
characters for male actors.
These characters are made to
look dominant against other
characters and serve as the
‘good guys’
8. Text – Nearly all of the existing trailers I
looked at had text on the screen. It is used to
introduce the characters and parts of the
plot. I decided to use a font that was easy to
read.
Music – I used jazz music
in my trailer to conform to
the existing conventions.
The second track that I
have used creates a more
mysterious and eerie
atmosphere than the first
song.
Mise en scene – I have used many
features associated with noir films,
such as a gun, to corporate with the
crime drama. My two protagonists are
dressed how the characters should be,
the male in a suit and the female in a
dress. I decided to film at the manor as
I thought it would neatly fit with my
trailer. The female character, who lives
there, is made to look powerful and
wealthy.
9. • I wanted to keep my trailer very close to the idealistic noir trailers so
decided to conform to many of the features. However, I have changed
one thing; the age of the actors portraying the characters. Normally,
in noir films they are mature older people. I wanted my trailer to
appeal to a wide variety of people, including young adults, which is
why I have used 18 year olds to portray my characters.
10.
11. • I based my magazine on the existing ‘Little white lies’ magazine, an
independent magazine company. I decided to subvert from the
popular film magazines such as Total Film and Empire as I thought my
genre would not be appreciated as much in those magazines. ‘Little
white lies’ is a unique magazine, much like my trailer. The covers also
reflect the look of noir posters.
I looked at the ‘Drive’ issue of this
magazine. I thought it was good as it was
in black and white and showed the main
protagonist. Subverting the conventions
of magazine covers further, the actor is
not looking at the camera.
I made it black and
white so it fits in with
my trailer and
changed the contrast
of the darkness and
brightness. The title of
the film is in red to
stand out.
12. • Photographs of the main characters/actors
• Name of the film In a large font
• Eye catching so people can see it from a distance
• Style – create a look that is consistent with the film
13.
14. A lot of my inspiration came from the ‘Out of
the Past’ poster. I love the use of colours and
how it involves the main characters.
I changed the colouring of my poster in
photoshop. This is so it looks more ‘Noir’.
Font – The font is in a
conventional bold italic font.
The yellow font makes it
stand out against the rest of
the features on the poster,
making it eye catching to
people, wherever they may
see it.
Images of the two main
protagonists, this could
entice audiences to watch
the film.
Like many other Noir posters I have added
the names of the actors in my trailer.
My poster involves all of the
important aspects of my film; the
femme fatale, the detective and the
manor.
