3. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• I primarily focused on the forms and conventions of pre-existing
film trailers which I had come across when studying film trailers
like “Women in Black” and “The Possession” because they all
share similar qualities which I wanted to include in my own
product. These forms and conventions included:
– Opening green screen and production logos.
– Film release date and credits.
– Film title.
– Footage to inform and entertain.
– Inter-titles.
– Average duration of 1-2 minutes.
• These are all forms and conventions that I aimed to include in my
own horror film trailer.
• Similarly, forms and conventions of the horror film genre consisted
of:
– Suspense and anticipation at selected times.
– Typical horror plot e.g. paranormal activity and murderers.
– Low angles and low-key lighting.
– Eerie music.
– Lack of dialogue.
4. EVIDENCE
• I created my own green screen, which played
for a few seconds at the very beginning of
the trailer. I copied the MPAA green screen,
because it is recognisable to audiences
which makes the trailer look more
professional.
• Here I have used a typical convention of a
production logo. I created my own fictional
companies of “Vertical” and “Timecode
Pictures”. I also kept the look in style of
the horror genre, with low-key lighting to
make it look gritty.
• I used inter-titles to break up the footage
and to inform the audience in a different
way. I also used the typical “based on true
events” which creates suspense.
5. EVIDENCE
• A graveyard is a common location for any
horror film and this shows how I carefully
planned where to shoot, as well as
developing conventions.
• I based my plot around a paranormal woman,
like the film “Woman in Black”. These
shots were purposely dark and aimed to build
tension and suspense, like most horror
trailers.
• The editing was also key and I developed the
horror genre, by creating a “static” style
shot which suits the style of the trailer
well.
7. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• The title is eye-catching with a unique
horror-style font, whilst being the largest
font on the page without taking too much
emphasis away from the image.
8. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• I developed the idea of “creepy” dolls,
which I wanted to challenge by prying on the
fears of the audience. This creates a unique
but ominous poster, with the conventional
bloody handprints.
9. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• At the bottom, I placed the release date and
credits, with the production company names
credited separately. Here I have clearly
used the forms and conventions of a film
poster.
11. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• I used the typical convention of an eye-
catching red logo. I didn’t want to
challenge this convention because I wanted
my magazine to be recognisable.
12. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• I placed short and informal informational
around the main image, so it was bold but
not distracting. Headers are also a common
convention on film magazines which I have
also included.
13. USE OF FORMS + CONVENTIONS
• I developed the convention of additional
pictures by placing it in a film reel. This
gives the poster some originality and it
shows how I have tried to use my creativity.
14. OVERALL
• I have closely paid attention to the forms
and conventions of pre-existing products
because I want to attract my demographic
and create products which are in line with
professional products.
• Across all three tasks, I have used,
developed and even challenged some of the
forms and conventions of a film trailer,
magazine and poster.
