Evaluation of my ancillary tasks

1. In what ways does your
media product use,
develop or challenge
forms and conventions
of real media products?

2. POSTER

3. From doing my format research I identified the codes and conventions of a movie poster, this helped me decide which ones I wanted to conform
to and which I wished to reject. When it comes to my magazine cover there are many conventions in which I used with the main objective being
to make my product look as realistic as possible. Firstly I decided to incorporate my cast’s names at the skyline of my film poster; this is an
effective technique used to advertise a film as fans will be able to identify actors in which they may have seen in other films or actors in which
there fans of. Therefore my noticing that they are present I this particular film they are more likely to be persuaded to watch the film. The
format I used was inspired by my format research of the film poster ‘Hidden in the woods”, I found that the names at the top were
extremely eye catching despite their positioning and size. I particular believe the
varying size of fonts emphasizing their surnames is crucial this is the most
obvious way of establishing a celebrity. I believe by using these conventions, my
poser looks a lot more realistic and professional which was exactly my prior
intention. However if I were to change this I would of probably used a texture
over the text in order to make it slightly more bold and powerful, this would not
only make the appearance better however it would also add emphasis to the names as they are vital aspects. Another convention which I used
was a billing block, this contains information about the crew behind the reconstruction of three film, including directors, producers, who it was
written by and so on. I really like this feature as it gives the audience an opportunity to find out who is behind the creation of the film
immediately, this can be beneficial for the product as they may
have great reputations and therefore people will want to
watch more of their work. The use of a bill block but also the
style in which it is portrayed was inspired from my format
research of the poster for the film ‘sinister’.
The reason why this media texts in particularly urged me to include it in my
poster was because it not only added substance however from a visual point of
view I think its effective. I like the positioning of the letters as they are quite
fragmented which suit the thriller genre as it wouldn’t look good if it were neat
and in order, I decided to build on this idea for my film poster and I am really
happy with the outcome as it looks edgier and more captivating. I have also included the film company logos beneath the text, I think this is
effective as it breaks up the block of writing with something a little more interesting. I have seen this below many bill blocks however usually it is
much understated, consequently I wanted to make them stand out by foreshadowing the black background with the bright white images.

4. In order to create a diverse product, it is not only vital to consider conventions in
which you wish to conform to and challenge, however it is also important to discover
aspects which you think are effective or even ineffective and transform them to adapt
to your own piece of work. I was able to do this and I am very happy with my decision
to do so, although it may have made my product slightly different, in terms of
presentation, I believe it has actually enhanced the quality of my poster. Firstly I
detected that many film posters use around three different types of fonts, one of
which is usually very outrageous and bold for the heading, accompanied by ones of
which are more subtle. Although I do think that this looks good, I thought id develop
this idea and put my own personal spin on the concept. As a result of this I decided to
use a plainer font for the main title, I did this because although its understated I think
it has the opposite effect, because it is so different to ones you may usually see, it will encourage the audience to take a double look and
then absorb it further. The simplistic approach from a visual perspective is actually a lot more satisfying as it is clear and quite intense. I
decided to use my quirkier fonts in the billing blocks as that combined with the close grouping is actually really sufficient and makes the
page look a lot more interesting. Developing from my initial Idea concerning fonts, I had another reason behind this decision, instead of just
incorporating the conventional mis-en-scene of a knife, I have ingrained it into the structure of the page. I did this because I hadn’t really
seen it done before and It gives of more of an individual style to my
product. By not putting to much emphasis on the font of my text, I have
been able to enhance this decision making it obvious to my audience of its
placement on the page. Overall I am glad that I developed these ideas as I
believe my main image speaks for itself and if I were to of used a bold font
like the one in the ‘I spit on your grave’ film poster on the right it could of
eliminated attention from the image and become to much. Sometimes
less is definitely more and I truly believe it works in this case. However if I
were to make any improvement and develop the idea further I may have
tried to make the text slightly more textured to coincide with the film and
make it appear more animated opposed to just text on the page.

5. One concept of my poster which I have definitely challenged is my main image. In many thriller film
posters I analysed, the key image is usually a close-up or medium shot of a leading protagonist making
direct mode of address. I have completely gone against this and used only the mouth and cheek of my
character. I did this intentionally in order to hide her identity, this will consequently create enigma
codes as my audience will wonder who he/she may be and why are they licking a weapon. By not
including her eyes in the picture, I have prevented any connection to be made between her and the
audience this is likely to create a negative representation of her. The eyes are meant to be the face of
someone's soul and therefore if you cant see them, the person becomes dehumanised, which is a key
aspects of the thriller genre as antagonists are usually portrayed as blood hungry monsters. I think the
main image is extremely mysterious which has been reinstated by the editing techniques I have used of
which have created numerous shadows and texture which hand in hand create ambiguity and provoke
an element of fear. One of my main intentions was to leave my audience confused and asking
questions, this Is a persuasive technique which many film company's used to use as an incentive to
watch the movie. Another convention which I was challenged
in comparison to many thriller posers the layout of my image differed. Most film poster uses the image in
the centre surrounded by a background, however my central image is my background. I did this because I
believe my image was striking enough and due to its texture, I was worried that if I were to use a
background as well, It may have looked over the top and unprofessional. The only disadvantage of this
decision is that it has left my poster looking slightly bare in the middle, from a visual art perspective I think
it looks good as it allow the most important features to be deduced and the simplicity actually does add
the professionalism. however If were to change it I may have placed my tagline there instead, so that the
audiences could pay more attention to it. Despite this decision I think this has actually made my poster
appear more diverse which is definitely more likely to grip my audience as if I were to follow conventions
to closely, individuality would be lost and my product would become just another number. I have created a
product of which I am proud of because its unique and I believe it portrays what I had originally
anticipated.
was the layout and uses of pictures. Although my title and
billing blocks were in the conventional places of a film poster,

6. WESBSITE

7. Lives, so by using media convergence and expanding my brand onto multi media platforms I have
been able to expand my target demographic even more. My main target demographic is teenagers
whom consume a lot of their times using social media, as a result of this they will be able to find
out about the brand and share to their hundreds of friends. Consequently this will convey in a
snowball effect this is a great way to advertise. I found this on nearly everyone of the websites I
analyse, however my idea for the presentation came from the purge website, the black and white
is very bold and makes a statement which I believe was important as it is a key part of my website.
A convention which I followed when considering my website was the incorporation of a page in
which helps assist my target demographic to buy tickets to watch the movie. I found this on
many movie website, it is a useful way of ensuring that your audience go on to watch the film.
This element of my website was slightly more technical as it involved creating buttons of which
were linked to various cinema websites. I also included a map, where my consumers can simply
type in their postcode and the nearest cinemas whom play my film pop up. I think this was a
really nice feature as it not only allows people to act on their instant hunger to watch the
movie straight after they watch the trailer but it also makes it a lot more simplistic will l be sure
to positively affect ticket sales. I decided to loosely follow the conventional the format of
A page you would see on a real movie website. I thought it was essential to use a striking title
which is likely to captivate the audiences attention. I used uppercase typography in a bold font to
emphasise it further and by using only two words makes it short and snappy which is a useful
technique when trying to get you point across effectively. I made browsing this page very
uncomplicated, by using direct links from the buttons. It is essential that I made it easy to use as for
older viewers who may have less experience using the internet, would find it difficult which could
deter them from looking any further. It is vital that I took into consideration all generations even
though my target may be younger people, there will still be other age groups interested in my
movie, so I have to cater to all needs. Another convention which I used on my website, was
inserting direct links to social media pages, social media plays a huge part in the majority of our

8. The first convention I developed was the fact that I not only used the same title
across all three of my media texts, however I established them as a product in a
much more professional way. I ensured that the title, tagline and typography was
exactly the same, this allows the audience to identify them as one product, this
is commonly used my film company's as if the idea is reinforced enough, they are highly unlikely to forget and therefore more inclined to
watch the finished product. Another way in which I developed the conventions of a media texts in order to reinstate my company was the
use of a media page. This contained in large images of my film poster and magazine cover, this was a really good feature I believe as my
audience will be able to link my brands and instantly know the film. On websites I had researched, I had seen links to pages which
contained such content although not one specifically dedicated to it, I am really pleased with this decision. Another form and convention
I decided to develop was the use of an update page, from my format research I had seen pages which had streams of updates, however it
was very rare that there were options to directly get the audience involved, therefore I took this idea and adapted it to suit the style I was
intending to go for. I used web 2.0 in order to meet the needs of my audience. Originally websites
were solely used to offload information to your audience and they passively absorb it, however in
todays society, the audience are able to participate more. I thought this was a really important
aspect so by giving them the opportunity to provide their email address in order to receive direct
news wherever they are. As a result of this decision, they will not only feel part of the movement
however it is also a great advertising opportunity. By constantly reminding my target demographic
of what's to come they are unable to forget about the film which increases the likelihood of them
going to see it. I also included a link to the personal data policy as I found that a lot of film
websites don’t show this in a clear format, this could withhold people from wanting to sign up as
they may not feel protected, this could consequently affect the number of people willing to
participate. I am glad I have developed the conventions of a real media product and included this
as I can answer my audiences questions and ensure that the possibility of them subscribing is
high. I think this page is a really unique touch which adds diversity to my website as a whole which
is based around giving information though this makes it slightly more personal to the consumer.

9. When creating my website, I realised in order to make an innovative and unique final product, it
was absolutely crucial to not only follow conventions, however challenge them to. One aspect
which I decided to include was the use of a sound button. Most thriller film websites I had
looked at incorporated a trailer on the homepage however when you browsed the rest of the
site, the ambiance was lost due to the deprivation of any sound. As a result of this I decided to
insert a button which allowed my audience to hear the soundtrack of my trailer throughout their
time viewing my website. I think this was a good idea as it allows an eerie atmosphere to be
maintained throughout their whole experience. Another reason why I think it works is because it
reinforces the genre as the lyrics are quite disturbing, this means that they are likely to feel
unsettled and their feeling of fear will be enhanced when they view other pages. I hoped this
would leave a mark and make them want to watch movie.
When doing my format research, I discovered that the majority of the
websites used different images on each page. Although this did look effective,
I decided to challenge this convention and stream one key image across all
pages. I intentionally selected a striking image which definitely creates a
creepy tone, whilst still linking to the narrative of my trailer. I believed that by
using a variety of different images it can actually end up being ineffective.
Firstly it distracts attention from the main focal point of the page for example
the text, which is essential for the audience to read. It also in my eyes doesn’t
look very visually pleasing and creates an almost disorganised feel which I
don’t think is very professional and finally I think it can end up giving away to
much of the narrative. I am really happy with this choice as alongside the
music I do believe an extremely unnerving mood is created, this is vital in the
thriller genre.

10. Thankyou
for
watching