The document discusses the analysis of film poster conventions for a coursework project. Key conventions identified include bold graphic fonts, glamorous photography, smaller framed photos, and barcode/edition information. The response describes applying these conventions to create a horror film poster, including taking photography, using a glowing font over a character's head, and "cracked" fonts to fit the genre theme. Overall, the response reflects on gaining more confidence in identifying generic conventions and improving technology skills over the two-year course.

1. I found examples of many film posters to complete textual analysis on and created a
moodboard of conventions. I also asked a target audience for their preferences in this
area which I think is essential in order to successfully attract your consumers.
Conventions that I identified were bold, graphic fonts for both mastheads and
straplines (such as a glowing effect) very glamorous photography with fashionable
costume, hair, make up and body attitude, good quality photography, many smaller
framed photographs and barcode and edition information. The language created focus
on the on the film industry. Using these conventions I created my front cover. My
photography was taken on SLR camera in order to make it look better quality, which
was successful. I used a long shot of my main character looking glamorous and
beautiful but scared. This fits the convention of the front cover using the theme of the
main featured film. To follow this I created the masthead with a glowing font and
superimposed it onto the character so that her head appeared to be placed on top of the
text using cutting, cropping, copying tools and different layers. This made my cover
seem professional I think. The glowing font was a deep shade of red to connote blood
and danger and fit in with my horror genre. I used more impressive graphic fonts,
such as ‘cracked’ fonts to stick to my horror genre theme. My barcode and date of
edition were essential touches which I created through scanning in an existing
magazine and copying it into my text. This is extremely conventional as all real media
magazines include a barcode for the sales side of the industry.
Overall, over my 2 year coursework I became more confident in identifying generic
conventions of a product. My technology skills and knowledge of the media both
developed and allowed me to create a more realistic and professional piece in my
Advanced Portfolio.
This is a high level 3 response. There is a real sense of progression and a chosen
theme – genre conventions is sustained in detail, along with a wide range of
examples of creative techniques that led to conventional outcomes. The answer
doesn’t quite meet the criteria for level 4 because conventions are sometimes
dealt with in a reductive way – eg a barcode, as opposed to being opened up to an
analysis of their more symbolic qualities.
1(b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
The concept of audience is fundamental to the making of a media text. A producer
must take into account the age, social status and gender and interests of a target
consumer in order to adjust the text to make it as appealing to them as possible. For
my A2 coursework I created a horror called ‘The sleepover’. Classification of age
appropriateness is important in audience identification. Films are screened by an
external board and given a minimum age of viewers. Most horror films are rated 18,
due to extreme gore, violence, sex and disturbance – not to mention emotional trauma
which is why I chose to rate my film as 18 as my film was a very conventional slasher
film.
The Hypodermic Needle effect is the first audience theory. It originated in the 1920s
when mass media first began to be popular. This suggests that a producer has an
intended meaning which is definitely understood by the audience. In this theory the
audience are completely passive. If this was applied to my text the audience would

2. view the killing scenes and sex scenes and instantly replicate the actions. This of
course is unrealistic and this theory is often argued to be very simplistic and outdate,
considering how much the media has developed this century.
The uses and gratifications audience theory suggests than an audience consume
particular texts in order to receive something from them. Bulmer and Katz identified
four uses and gratifications as diversion (entertainment and escape from reality),
surveillance (information), personal identity (seeing yourself reflected in the text and
learning new values and personal relationships (seeking emotional interaction and
substituting media relationships for your own). In my coursework, a consumer may
use diversion - the horror trailer is escapist – a route away from reality and they
would be entertained by the mystery and fear of my film. Diversion would also
include catharsis that my trailer would enable, which is using the media as an outlet of
emotion – they would experience horror in the safety of cinema. They would also
experience the ‘personal identity’ stage in seeing themselves in, or, admiring, the
good characters – particularly the ‘final girl’ character and her charming boyfriend,
depending on gender of audience member. They would also have the personal
relationships because they could feel emotion of the fear and sadness of the victims
whilst substituting their emotional relationship with the friendships in my trailer or the
main characters’ romantic relationship with her boyfriend. My audience would not
use the surveillance stage as horror films are not intended to be instructional.
The most modern and developed theory of audience is reception theory. This model
based on Stuart Hall’s encoding model, suggests that a producer will encode a text
and the audience will decode it. Their reading is affected by many contextual and
personal factors such as age, social status, gender, current mood and personal
experiences. I encoded my horror trailer as well as I could using beautiful, edgy,
feminine characters which appeal to the female consumers. I used isolated settings
which suggest to the audience that escape isn’t possible (deserted house, woods) thus
highlighting the experience of fear and panic that one hopes for when watching a
horror film. I used acoustic codes in the form of a deep male voice over and jumpy,
low orchestral score to hope that my audience will feel tension and suspense. My
killer was masked and always appeared silent and in the shadows, connoting evil and
dehumanising him hopefully creating a response of fear from the audience.
My main target audience were males and females aged 18-30. I used attractive actors
to appeal to the audience who would admire / desire them. The ‘cool’ stylish clothing
adds to this. I used the male gaze theory by Laura Mulvey, showing a victim’s
cleavage and the ‘final girl’ theory (hopefully creating a stronger feminist image to
other women) to attract both genders. I used audience research in the form of
questionnaires to find out my audiences preferences and dislikes in order to make my
trailer meet their interests as fully as possible. I also asked for audience feedback on
my first drafts which allowed me to make improvements based on the opinions of 20
18-30 year olds. The told me to exaggerate gore and violence more and use more
threatening music which I then incorporated using iMovie so that me audience was
tempted to watch my piece.
I aimed my piece at a low social status as my trailer was a version of British teenagers
experiencing the American slasher experience. I used strong language, popular music
for soundtrack and fashionable clothing to hopefully attract this group.
This is a level 3 / level 4 borderline response

3. Level 4 qualities –coherence, range of useful examples, ability to answer the
question in sustained manner, relating of theory to practice. The understanding
of Hall’s encoding / decoding model in relation to own work. The discussion of
‘effects’ early on is clear and relevant.
Level 3 qualities – the application of audience theories (insufficiently developed
for level 4 – eg the ‘use of’ Mulvey, in the same paragraph as the use of
questionnaires for feedback).

4. at the advanced stage and they added to the quirky image of Lexi. I watched videos
like The Pharcyde’s ‘Drop’ and Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ which were great
inspirations as they used the reverse editing so differently.
Furthermore, Lexi wore a Rolling Stones vest which integrated intertextuality which
is a common convention in a lot of music. I also shot test footage and created mood
boards of London as this was key in Lexi’s British image.
Overall, both projects were influenced by conventions of existing media but to
different extents. While the foundation portfolio focussed on rigid conventions, the
advanced one was more towards using subtle ones to construct an image and brand.
Technically, my knowledge has improved as I researched music more thoroughly and
learnt a lot in doing so.
This is a level 4 response. The answer clearly describes, and evaluates
progression over the course (from following rigid conventions to using more
subtle techniques) and combines a theoretical language (intertextuality,
connotation) with specific details of creative choices made and how these were
informed by conventions. A range of examples of both decisions made and
existing media texts provide conviction and substance and the question is
answered throughout the response.
1b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
The target audience of my music video for debut artist ‘Lexi Grace’ was a huge
consideration as it was important to construct a music video that would entice and
excite them. Lexi is an androgynous artist as she is feminine and can attract male
audiences, yet has short hair and can wear biker boots to represent a ‘girl power’
image.
David Gauntlett addresses ‘fluidity’ in media and Lexi is a prime example of this as
she drifts between sexy red lipstick and girly dresses and yet directly addresses the
camera, subverting traditional stereotypes of passive women which shows her
diversity and appeal to many people. Her target audience is young people of both
genders and her Britishness is a key factor. The video is set in London, with Lexi
walking around different iconic scenes such as Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.
My aim was that by associating Lexi with iconic places, audiences would associate
her as an icon as well. Also, by incorporating post-modern ides through intertextuality
as Lexi wears a Rolling Stones vest, audiences would recognise this, gratifying their
needs as they would associate Lexi with the band and legendary music in general.
Furthermore, Lexi can be a role model to young people as she is a young person
herself, at 19 years old and audiences can familiarise with her. Laura Mulvey’s idea
on the action of ‘looking’ was an inspiration as Liexi is objectified in someways, for
example through ECUs on her lips or pans across her legs as she walks, yet she
directly addresses the camera and subverts this ‘passive’ role as she almost objectifies

5. those looking at her. This ability to be diverse is key to Lexi’s audience appeal and
again, her fluidity.
Through camerawork, editing, mise en scene and sound I was able to create a brand
image for Lexi to appeal to her audience. Editing was used to emphasise sounds, for
example, jump cuts on lyrics like “things that are inside” to emphasise the importance
of them. The message of the song was important as Lexi needed to attract viewers to
watch repeatedly. The majority of shots were very short and Lexi wore many outfits
and appeared in different locations ranging from central London to North London.
During the audience screening I noticed people talking about places they recognised
and Lexi’s clothes, so this was a positive point as it provided a ‘basis for social
interaction’ which gratifies the needs of the audience.
Moreover Lexi appeals to her audience because she is unlike any other artist. Singers
like Pink and Robyn have similar styles but seem very edgy and artists like Pixie Lott
are extremely feminine and overtly sexualised. Lexi has the right balance, which is
why she can appeal to both males and females. She can embody Winship’s theory of
girl power, but also appeal to males through subtle sexuality through costume and
styling (using dresses and high heels). She is the ultimate icon of post modernism as
she has feminine qualities but isn’t overtly sexualised and subverts stereotypical roles.
This is a level 3 response. The question is answered directly and theories of
audience / reception are coherently and intelligently applied to one chosen text.
There are flaws - Winship’s theories do not relate to ‘girl power’ in this
simplistic sense and at times ‘audience theory’ is reduced to ‘appealing to the
audience’ and these shortcomings prevent the script from accessing the level 4
mark range.

6. 1b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of
audience.
‘Spinning Time’ was the teaser trailer I made in A2 media and is what I will eb
analysing in terms of genre.
‘Spinning Time’ is a teen comedy about a teenage girl who has a watch that can
control time. As such it is aimed at teenage girls who can relate and identify with the
protagonist. Subsequently my target audience is girls aged between eleven and
nineteen.
I catered for this audience, firstly by presenting a relatable protagonist in Myles
Brown. She is a student dedicated to her work, though also a bit lazy as depicted by
her hesitance to get out of bed the trailers beginning. The film was intended to be a
Disney family film and as such ‘Funmi Buriamoh’ the actress playing Myles Brown is
the new up and coming teen start like Selena Gomez in ‘Ramona and Beezus’. As
such the casting of Buriamoh would be an aspect to draw in the target audience.
My target audience are predominantly fans of popular music – energetic, exciting, like
stuff from the top 40. Chick flicks which are the sub genre of films that cater to my
audience feature this kind of music throughout teaser trailers and the film. As such I
complied with the conventions of Chick Flicks by incorporating this kind of music to
entice my target audience.
I was in no way trying to create moral panic with my film. It’s Disney-esque vide was
highly considered during its creating, empowering it to be the kind of film the family
can see together.
I think that there are many uses and gratifications to ‘Spinning Time’. The positive
portrayal of an Afro-Caribbean teen is not something that is often seen in big-
budgeted Hollywood films/ As such it breaks stereotypes and challenges conventions,
and subsequently some preconceptions regarding the demographic. Additionally it
provides the target audience with a new role model to look up to and possibly use as
reinforcement for their personal values and beliefs – as Myles is quite a positive
character.
The preferred reading of ‘Spinning Time’ is that audiences will wish they were in
Myles position; having a watch that could control time as it would make life more
exciting, easy and generally more fun. Having the instant opportunity to rewind time
and do things over again (like a test for example) would eliminate the universal fear
of making mistakes. I think eroding that fear would generally make people happier
and less self conscious.
However, an oppositional reading to the film could be that Myles is too lazy and
selfish to be using such an amazing gift for lazy personal gain reasons – like catching
a bus. The audience may expect Myles to do something much more meaningful like
prevent deaths or wars.
In conclusion I provided for my target audience in a number of ways (including
music, casting, mise en scene to give the happy Disney-esque vibe and plot) duting
the creation of ‘Spinning Time’. The piece is for entertainment as opposed to creating

7. moral panic, and hopefully offers audience members the opportunity for self
discovery and social integration through discussing what they’d do if they had a time
controlling watch.
This is a level 3 response. Some elements are proficient and some are competent.
Proficient – the ability to select one piece of work and to relate it to theories of
audience / effects such as moral panics and preferred readings (though these are
not attributed to Cohen or Hall / Morley).
Competent – the examples are clear and the theoretical analysis is
straightforward – in this sense the understanding of audiences’ reading the text
is insufficient for the higher mark level.