1. Question One.
In what ways do your media
products use, develop and challenge
forms and conventions of real media
products?
2. USE - POSTER
Tagline, red font and
layout
Image, straight facial
expression
Creepy eyes
Release date, website,
title positioning.
3. • The tagline is positioned in the exact same place at the top of my poster as well as
The Devil Inside poster. I decided to do this as I thought that it captured attention
of the audience as it stands alone and is quite secluded from the rest of the poster,
I also chose to use the color red as I thought, similarly to The Devil Inside it had
connotations that are similar to the narrative, for example the connotations of
death.
• The information I included in the poster were the same as The Devil Inside,
excluding the additional information of the steel tongs that I have. I decided to
copy the layout and information as it shows that there is a marketing technique
with the website, and the layout doesn't distract any attention away from the
other aspects of the poster.
• The eyes I believed added to the horror effect, I thought it also emphasized the
genre of the trailer, this was the case in both of the posters. Therefore I thought it
was a good technique to use on my poster.
• The expressions and presentation of the image, I believe captured great attention
as they're looking right into the camera and therefore right at the audience, it
increases the dramatic effect and the creepiness of the horror genre.
4. DEVELOP - POSTER
Larger Fonts
Close up, instead
of medium close
up.
Red text, not
white.
5. • I differed the size of the fonts at the top of the poster as I wanted the tagline to
grab as much attention as it could, I think that on The Devil Inside poster the red
coloring on the right hand side takes away some of the attention as it doesn't stand
out to its full effect.
• The close up on my poster was chosen as the clothing that my actress was wearing
didn't completely compliment the genre of the trailer like it did with The Devil
Inside, therefore I chose the close up. I also think this emphasizes the mise en
scene of the actor and adds to the narrative.
• The red text was chosen as I thought that white had connotations of innocence and
purity which may represent the nun image on The Devil Inside yet doesn't have the
same effect with the actress on my image. I therefore chose red to represent the
death that the actress on my poster was attempting to convey.
7. • The background of the image I wanted to be changed completely as I wanted my
background to add much more narrative to the poster, therefore I chose to add a
house which is where the trailer is set. The red shadowing too would have been a bit
too much of the red color and this is what I would have wanted to avoid.
• The masthead used a completely different font as I used IStillKnow as I thought it
complimented horror, it was also a lot bigger font size as I wanted there to be a mass
of attention grabbed. Also because it was skinnier font I thought the bigger size would
have been necessary.
8. USE - MAGAZINE
White in masthead
Eye contact with
camera
Barcode
Layout
9. • The white was used in the masthead as I thought as a result of the light
backgrounds, used on both magazines, it would stand out greatly and
compliment the sorted layout.
• The barcode was completely copied as I thought it completed the magazine
and makes it look much more professional.
• The images used on both the magazines I used eye contact on both as it
captures the attention of the audience, which is something I wanted from
my magazine.
• The layout of the main story is set out with the title of the product at the
top and then the information below, I liked this order as it appeared to be
more stylistic and in an ordered fashion.
10. DEVELOP - MAGAZINE
Layout at top
Medium close up not
medium long shot
Less cover stories
with more information
Bigger tagline and
different fonts
More stroke
11. • The layout at the top of the page differs slightly yet is still positioned in the same place. I
chose to avoid the use of posters as I thought it may take focus of the main story on the
front. I still used the two different colors as opposed to one primary color, I instead used
red and white to break it up a little and avoid it clashing with the masthead, similar to the
Total Film magazine.
• My model was instead photographed at a medium close up instead of a medium long
shot, despite using similar poses. I did this as I wanted to take complete advantage of the
surrounding space as I knew I was going to be using less coverlines.
• Despite copying the layout of the main story I chose to differ the fonts and the size of the
fonts on 'The Retribution'. I made it slightly smaller than the masthead like the Total Film
magazine did and I also only used on sized font for both words, unlike the Sherlock
Holmes story. I chose the white color as I thought it would contradict the picture and
keep the audience in suspense.
• I chose to use less coverlines so that 'The Retribution' could take up great advantage of
all the space which was available. I also wanted to try and avoid taking the spotlight of
the main picture.
• On the title of the trailer on my magazine and the 'is here' I used a lot more stroke on
photoshop as it needed to stand out much more on the white background which it had
been placed upon.
12. CHALLENGE - MAGAZINE
Masthead layout and
positioning
Clear Filter not
clouded filter
Mise En Scene
Additional ‘plus’ information
13. • The masthead of my magazine was completely different as it rotated one word as
opposed to having it positioned inside another word, it also used different colors and
was positioned much higher than the Total Film because of the information being
smaller above. This was because I wanted to make mine look much more individual
and separate it from existing media products.
• The background of my magazine used a clear filter instead of the clouded filter which
appears on the opposite magazine. Mine is much cleaner because I wanted it to look
much cleaner and more organized.
• The mise en scene is different to the Total Film magazine as the genre conventions
differ slightly due to mine being horror, I wanted to emphasize this so therefore used
black eye make up, talc and lighting effects on photoshop.
• I added additional information at the bottom of the magazine, which isn't there at all
on the other magazine. This is because I only used two coverlines and therefore
thought that more information needed to be added so that it didn't look like a
magazine special edition.
14. USE - TRAILER
MPAA information.
Representation of possession
Montage
15. • The purpose of the MPAA screen, which was placed at the beginning of my trailer, like
many others, was to inform the audience about the viewing experience that they're
about to receive.
• The representation of the mise en scene throughout the trailer was very carefully
detailed, we tried to make the possession as excessive as we could possibly make it, to
enhance the horror. As you can see from the comparison of the images, the face of
each are distorted and the pupils of the eyes are not very dilated. This could be an
example of the repetition and variation which Steve Neale refers to in his theory.
• The Kuleshov Effect is used in my trailer, montages are used in many horror trailers
such as The Ring. The jump cuts were used to show the distortion and almost
confusion to the trailer as at this point we aren't offered the reasons for this
occurrence.
• The narrative structure of my trailer follows that of the Todorov theory with the
exception of some of the troughs, climax and the new equilibrium. This is used in
pretty much all trailers, this appears to be the norm and therefore I also used the
equilibrium and some peaks to attract the audiences attention.
17. • Carol Clovers final girl was used in my trailer similarly to how it is used in The
Skeleton Key, one of the girls in my trailer we get clips of being terrorized by the
possessed girl throughout. For example there is a scene where she is tied to a
chair, whilst the possessed girl stands over her with a knife. We can see in this
scene above that she has survived, similar to how Kate Hudson survives in the end
despite her body being taken over by spirit.
• The party scene is a convention which we used because we thought it portrayed
the teenagers correctly. Quite like how it used in Prom Night, I think it is used for
the same reasons as once again that is a cast of teenagers, yet the narrative does
not contain possession.
18. Develop - Trailer
Camera phones/handheld
Haven’t been specific with release
Daytime scenes are light
19. • The camera work is something which we decided to change and differ from a phone
to an actual mini DV camcorder, this was used to compliment the party scene and
emphasize the drunken behavior. The handheld camera was used to add tension to
the trailer, this was slightly different to films such as Amityville horror which uses a
fixed camera, yet I think it is used for the same effects.
• I have included the release time at the end of the trailer yet I have chosen to not be
too specific, I think this is best for my trailer as it makes it more snappy and quicker,
which was the effect I was going for as the trailer reached the end.
• The sound of the trailer uses sudden bangs and loud noises during the peaks of the
trailer to make it a lot jumpier, I have seen this in many other trailers for example in
The Last Exorcism. However, it instead begins with loud diegetic music as opposed
to a slow paced score, this instead comes a lot later into the trailer.
• In my daytime scenes I have chosen to have them in high key lighting, as opposed to
having other daylight scenes to be low key lighting with rain for example to create
pathetic fallacy. This was mainly to convey an enigma and almost trick the audience
with the narrative.
20. CHALLENGE - TRAILER
Teenagers not children
House location, not
stereotypical
Newsreader at the beginning
21. • Normally in horror films which contain possession within the narrative, it uses
children as they stereotypically make things a lot scarier, yet as a result of the
wider narrative within my trailer I chosen to use teenagers to convey the new
beginning of being students, making them more vulnerable.
• The location for my trailer goes against the norm as it was all set in a house, this
was so I could convey the seclusion of the girls and also exclude the risk of
outsiders. Which is why I didn't use a stereotypical location of a woodland area.
• The timing of the newsreaders section in the trailer was something which we
speculated, yet we decided to put it at the beginning as it appeared to instantly
capture attention, especially with the addition of the flash inserts of the victims
and the possessed girl. These inserts only lasted a few seconds as we didn't want
to give too much away at this point, this is something that I had not seen before
in a trailer.
