The document analyzes how the student's media trailer uses, develops, or challenges conventions of real media texts. It finds that the trailer sticks to many conventions: it uses establishing shots to set genre; employs montage editing for suspense like in Shaun of the Dead; utilizes a horror-based font and props to signify genre; and incorporates both frightening and comedic sounds similar to real trailers. However, it challenges conventions by having a purely horror-based montage sequence without mixing comedy and horror elements like in Shaun of the Dead and Scary Movie. Overall, the trailer adheres closely to conventions but aims for a predominantly horror tone rather than blending genres in its montage editing.

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

2. Screen shots from my trailer that I will be analysing

3. Establishing shot
• In trailers it is conventional and somewhat imperative to have establishing shots to
help identify genre. My establishing shot is one of an eerie looking field, with a grey
sky clearly seen above. This immediately helps identify the genre as horror and sets
the atmosphere for the rest of the trailer. The brief appearance of the villain at the
end of the shot confirms to the audience that the atmosphere is supposed to be
sinister, and in my opinion makes the shot effective as it builds suspense.
• The establishing shot for the Scary Movie trailer, that of a house in darkness, aims to
achieve a similar effect, and thus I feel I have used conventions of real media texts.

4. Montage editing shots
• My trailer makes use of montage editing for dramatic effect, as can also be seen with the montage editing in the
trailer for Shaun of the Dead. In the trailer for Shaun of the Dead, shots seen include that of zombies and a close-
up of Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s mouth, to build suspense. Shots seen in my montage editing sequence include a
shot where the villain is creeping up on one of the victims and a pair of running feet, again to build suspense. I
feel as a result of this use of montage editing I have stuck to conventions of real media texts. However, there are
differences in the use of montage editing as well, which I will analyse later on (refer to narrative slide).

5. Wide angle shot
• I feel the wide angle shot used in my trailer would provoke feelings of tension and anxiety in the
audience, as it portrays the victims as being alone and out in the middle of nowhere. This is the idea I
wanted to convey with the wide shot, and I feel it is effective as it adds tension and makes it clearer
to the audience that the trailer is in the horror genre. The wide shot in the trailer for Scary Movie
could be viewed as being on the contrary, as it shows a busy street with lots of people walking
around. This is one of the shots that exploits the comedy genre within the trailer, and thus I feel this
is why this shot is done, to tell the audience that they should not be feeling tension at this particular
moment. I think, despite the shots being very different, I have actually stuck to genre conventions
here, as I have used the wide angle shot to illuminate the horror aspect of my trailer. The Scary
Movie trailer does the same thing, except it illuminates the comedy aspect of the trailer instead of
the horror aspect with it’s wide shot, meaning fundamentally both trailers have use similar
techniques in order to identify genre.

6. Horror based font
• As can be seen, the font for my title exploits the horror genre. This can be seen
through the blood effect that is used and the bright red colouring of the text. The
title for Shaun of the Dead also exploits the horror genre, which can be seen
through the bold text that is used and the hand that comes up through the letter A. I
have stuck to conventions of real media texts here by making my font easily
identifiable as being horror based, as Shaun of the Dead does.

7. Narrative
• The narrative sticks to the conventions of the genre through the use of montage editing.
As can be seen in both the Shaun of the Dead trailer and the trailer for Scary Movie,
montage editing is used. Despite this similarity, I think my montage editing also
challenges genre conventions. This is because I feel the montage editing in the two actual
media trailers help to show the juxtaposition between comedy and horror. For example,
the first montage editing sequence in the Shaun of the Dead trailer is that of Shaun doing
very mundane things such as spreading jam on toast and brushing his teeth. This
juxtaposes with the next montage editing sequence which shows flashing news reports
of the zombie outbreak that is taking place around him. This is part of the humour of the
film, as it shows the coming together and juxtaposing of the verisimilitude narrative and
the zombie outbreak narrative. Likewise, the montage editing sequence in Scary Movie
mixes shots in broad daylight containing characters mingling innocently with shots at
night time of characters running away from the villain. My montage editing however is
purely horror based as it takes place in the second section of the trailer and thus does
not contain the mixing of comedy and horror elements that the real media trailers do. I
therefore feel that I am challenging conventions of real media texts here. However, my
trailer is designed to be predominantly horror based and I always planned for the
montage editing to be that of horror rather than comedy, meaning I do not perceive this
to be much of an issue.

8. Representation of genre
• My trailer makes use of props such as a villain mask and a weapon (in my
trailer a gun, compared to a cricket bat in the Shaun of the Dead trailer and
a knife in the Scary Movie trailer). These props help to easily identify the
trailer as belonging to the horror genre, and I feel I am sticking to
conventions of real media products through using props of this nature as
the props connote horror/violence.
• My trailer also sticks to conventions of genre through the shots used. Wide
angle shots, establishing shots and quick montage editing shots have all
been used and can all be identified in real life comedy-horror trailers,
meaning I have stuck to conventions of real media products.

9. Sound
• I feel, concerning sound, I have stuck to the conventions of real media texts. This
is because in my trailer I used sounds of both a frightening nature and also of a
more comedic nature. For example, the music used in the comedy segment of
the trailer is more light-hearted and there are sound effects used such as a bird
cooing, which could be viewed as being quite cheesy, which juxtaposes with the
dark music and creepy sound effects which can be heard later on. The same can
be seen in the real media trailers. In the trailer for Shaun of the Dead, the music
at the start is comedic and quite cheesy, however later on when the news
reports are seen the music is dark and dramatic.
• A similar idea can be picked out in the Scary Movie trailer. This trailers starts in a
dark tone and thus there is no music, to add tension. As the trailer transitions in
to a comedy medium however, the music, which is that of a light-hearted and
comedic nature, begins.