My media product uses and challenges conventions of real horror trailers and films. By analyzing many horror trailers, I incorporated common conventions like costume design, music, and locations. However, I broke conventions by making the killer a woman rather than a man. I also used normal teenage costumes rather than dark costumes typically seen in horror. While some conventions like codes around genre representation are followed, theories on narrative structure and character types are challenged as my story includes atypical elements.

1. In what ways does your
media product
use, develop, or challenge
forms and conventions of
real media products?
A2 EVALUATION
SHAUN LIDDLE

2. When planning my media product, I made sure I
properly analysed many different horror trailers to
get different ideas to use on my project. By doing
this I have used many different conventions in my
horror trailer which are included in these trailers. As
well as using some of these horror conventions, I
have also broken some horror conventions. In my
horror trailer the killer is a female, this isn’t usually
the typical case with horror trailers as men are
usually the killers because of strong and dominant
connotations, this results in my horror trailer
breaking typical horror conventions.

3. I have also broken horror conventions as I
decided to use normal teenage costumes, rather
than using typical dark, horror style costumes.
This however still relates to the audience as the
target audience are mainly teenagers. This also
gives a sense of unexpectedness as the killer is
not exactly highlighted throughout the start of
my horror trailer.
Use of normal
teenage costumes.

4. My project however also uses typical horror
conventions as it relates to Roland Barthe’s theory.
Codes such as connotation, denotation and action
are used. Representation of the genre is repeatedly
highlighted throughout my horror trailer, for
example, costume and make-up such as blood and
locations such as abandoned buildings are denoted
within my horror trailer, which connotes the genre
of horror. This supports Barthe’s theory of symbolic
and semic codes.

5. Throughout my media product I manage to apply
Todorov’s narrative structure theory to my
work, (equilibrium, disruption, recognition of
disruption, attempt to repair disruption and new
equilibrium), however his theory is also to a certain
degree challenged. For example, my trailer involves
the step of disruption twice, as disruption occurs
when the character is drugged and accidentally
killed and disruption also occurs when the
character comes back for her revenge. This shows I
have challenged typical horror conventions when
producing my horror trailer.

6. Vladimir Propp’s theory is somewhat of use;
however this is also challenged as all of the
character types are not included. For
example, Propp says they are generally different
types of characters within films such as, the
hero, the villain, the helper, the donor and the
princess. My horror trailer manages to challenge
Propp’s theory as only one of these stereotypical
characters is used. With my trailer having the
genre of horror it is evident that the villain (the
killer) will be included within my horror trailer. As a
result this manages to challenge typical horror
conventions.

7. Overall...
I manage to use, develop and challenge forms
and conventions of real media products within
my A2 coursework production.