The document summarizes how the media product of a trailer, magazine cover, and film poster for a horror/thriller genre film challenge and develop conventions of real media. For the trailer, conventions like camera shots, editing, sound, characters, and locations were followed, but some elements like character outcomes were challenged. The magazine cover followed conventions like layout, masthead, and image placement, but challenged elements like text placement. The poster followed conventions like a close-up image and capital title, but challenged conventions like title placement. Overall, the media product used research of real examples to both develop and challenge typical genre conventions.

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

2. For our A2 coursework we created a trailer and 2 ancillary tasks, which were
a film poster and magazine front cover. We were allowed to choose the
genre of our choice and as a group we decided to choose horror/thriller.

3. Traditional Codes & Conventions of a
Trailer
• Title of the film included.
• Release date.
• Company and cast information.
• Length of 2-3 minutes.
• Sounds appropriate to the genre portrayed.

4. Typical conventions to make our trailer
realistic?

5. Companies Details

6. Title

7. The length was..
The release date was “this summer”

8. Trailer

9. Codes and Conventions of Horror/Thriller Trailer
Camera:
The shots used in a horror/thriller vary as the are
trying to create a sense of danger and make the
audience wonder. Some of the camera shots
used are high and low angles, close ups,
establishing shot and panning.
Sound:
The sounds used tend to be eerie and create a
dramatic suspense. Also the pace changes to
make the trailer more intense depending on the
action. Also sound effects are used to make the
audience jump, like bangs, screams and echoes.
Also the dialogue used is specific to the genre , to
show the audience what genre it is.
Editing:
Editing used in this genre tends to be fast pace and
dramatic to build tension and suspense. Typical
editing is fades, cuts, fast motion and quick
swaps.
Theme:
The typical themes are serial killers, revenge,
murders, binary opposition, and mental illness.
The reason for this is because they want to
create a sense of enigma and danger.
Characters:
The typical characters are the virgin girl, the slutty
girls, the hero, the Protagonist male and a
villain.
Mise en scene:
Lighting:
The lighting in a horror/ thriller, always tends to be dark,
raining and gloomy. To engage the audience and create an
atmosphere and builds suspense.
Costumes:
Depending on the character will depend on the costume
that characters chose to wear. E.g. white for the good
characters, black for the bad and the bad girls may dress
provocative. So the clothing will depend on the character.
Props:
The props used in horror/thriller films tend to be weapons,
blood and knifes, which are used to give a dramatic effect
and show the audience the genre.
Locations:
Location is key in horror/thriller as it shows the audience
the genre straight away and creates suspense. The typical
locations used in this genre are the woods, haunted
houses/buildings, schools and camp sites/cabins.
Titles:
The titles are to create a situation and engage the
audience.

10. We found horror/thriller trailers all
had?
• When looking trailers we found that the whole storyline was not
told only bits and the end was always left, making the audience
want to see more.
• We found that location was key to the trailer as it is a key code
and convention to horror/thriller and establishing shots were
used to show the audience the different locations.
• We found that the females always tended to be the victim and a
male the hero.
• We also found that the trailer was on average 2-3 minutes.
• The shots were also very quick within a small space of time.
• Sounds appropriate to the thriller/horror genre portrayed.

11. You’re Next, Insidious, Sorority Row
Scream, & I Spit on Your Grave.
Trailers we Analysed?

12. Analysing these trailer allowed our group to
understand our genre fully and the
horror/thriller codes and conventions we
must include. It showed us all the basic
ideas behind a trailer and really helped us in
our production work.

13. Theme’s

14. Deciding on our Narrative
So after thorough research the group come together to decide on a narrative
at first we were all blank with ideas. However we all really like Sorority Row
and I Spit On Your Grave trailers and felt they had a very interesting and
engaging narrative. So from there we decided to uses them both as inspiration
and form a narrative.

15. NARRATIVE: 1
This was our original plot, however it
changed due to audience feedback and
taking the advice given on board. The
audience felt the original narrative was
very unclear and the audience could not
understand the trailer/plot and what was
going on. Are original plot was about
grace who moved to the city and was
targeted by local lads who end up
attacking her which is similar to I spit on
your grave. Then she nearly dies but
when she recovers comes back for
revenge, as a group we felt it was too
similar to I spit on your grave. So we
redone are plot.

16. NARRATIVE: 2
So we then redone the plot and
developed on ideas from Sorority
Row and I Spit on your Grave into
our narrative.
So are final theme of the trailer is
mixed between revenge and murder.
So we have used a typical theme of a
horror/thriller trailer. Showing that
we are using the correct codes and
conventions when making our
trailer.

17. Todorov theory-
1. A state of equilibrium (this is where everything is final and normal.)
2. A disruption of that order by an event.
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium.
This theory can be applied to our final narrative 2.
Everything is normal and the sorority have a new opening for a member.
The member must complete a task to prove himself, to be accepted and gain a
place.
The task goes wrong and the girl ends up dead.
The new member tries to fix things, by getting revenge on the rest of the boys and
tying them up in the basement.
New equilibrium revenge has been served.
Levi status- Binary opposition
The opposition within our narrative are the good vs bad, so we have the bad
sorority and the good girl and in the end the bad loses and the good wins.
Theory

18. Camera

19. When filming the trailer, I also referred back to the codes and conventions and looked
at the typical shots that were within the horror/thriller genre. The typical camera
shots I found in the trailers I analysed which were from, I spit on your grave and
Sorority Row were, establishing shots close ups, medium shots and pan shot’s.
So throughout the process I referred to the general codes and conventions as I
wanted to make sure it was like a real product. The shots we focused on were
establishing shots, close ups, medium shots and pan shot’s, as these were the typical
shots in a horror/thriller trailer and I included them all.
We used establishing shots
as it was important to allow
the audience to know the
location and this was key for
them to be able to know the
genre of the trailer. As
horror/thriller tend to have
typical locations. Also this
shot sets an atmosphere and
build the tension.

20. We used close ups as this was used regularly in a the trailers
we had research, as they wanted to show the audience
reactions and make them see the emotions. Making them
question what is going on while the watch the trailer as all the
know it is a horror/thriller and that something bad is
eventually going to happen but what?? They can only see bits
of the plot within the trailer. So reactions are key as they get a
reaction out of the audience and make them wonder.
Pan shots were also used as it allowed the audience to
see what was going on. Also these shots tend to create
suspense and show the characters as useless.
We also use medium shots as it makes the
audience question what is going on as they cannot
see everything, only what we want them to see. So
it makes the audience wonder and makes them
become an active audience.

21. Editing

22. Conventions Followed?
When looking at the trailer I spit on your grave and sorority row, I found that editing used in this genre tends to be fast pace and
dramatic to build tension and suspense. Typical editing is fades, cuts, fast motion and quick swaps.
When editing my trailer I used Premier, and I used all the typical edits used in my research. I had the typical fast motion scenes
and even used “Time Stretch” to speed scenes up to make the trailer more intense.
I also put effects such as dissolve and fades in the trailer to get rid of the jumpy scenes. These effects are also used in the trailers I
researched. I put an earthquake effect on some of the clips and I used a contrast and the “Extract!” effect to turn the final shot
more scary and make the lightning darker. I followed the main convention of editing when putting the trailer in order, made sure
it was not in sequence so the audience did not get told the full story.
So overall followed the conventions of a horror/thriller and this caused a dramatic buildup of tension and suspense throughout
the trailer.

23. Sound

24. Conventions Used ?
• I followed the convention of a eerie soundtrack and used a soundtrack
called the prestige which was very effective and helps to create and build
tension throughout the trailer. I got this soundtrack from YouTube, then
converted it to an MP3 so I could insert it into Premier.
• I also used sound effects was a jumpy sounds, to build tension and show
something was going to happen. I got these from “Sinister”.
• There was also dialogue used was screams and basic dialogue to show the
audience the specific genre “I think someone is following me”.
• So the sound was used effectively and helped show the genre to the
audience and added the final touches to the trailer.

25. Characters

26. Conventions Used?
• We followed the conventions on characters, as we had the innocent girl
grace who dies.
• We had the villains who were the sorority boys.
• We had the hero the new member Badia.
• However we challenged the idea of the good person staying alive, as we
chose to kill her off. We also challenged the idea that normally the non
virgin girls dies, we had an innocent virgin who died in our film. Also we
had our hero be part of the bad side first and he swapped and became the
unexpected hero.
• So we used the basic conventions of a real media product characters in
our trailer, but we also challenged it at the same time.

27. Mise en scene

28. Lighting
• The lighting I used in my
trailer follows the
conventions of a real
horror/thriller trailer as I
used a dark, gloomy lighting.
I added this effect to my
trailer by adjusting the
contrast and adding a tint.
• This created an atmosphere
throughout the whole trailer
and helped to show the
genre of the trailer.

29. Costume
Dalia costume in the trailer
was simple and colourful,
to show she was the
innocent good character in
the trailer.
The boys in the sorority wear
dark clothing which
symbolises they are the bad
characters I trailer.
Badia, costume is grey as he
starts as the villain,
however then sways to
become the hero at the end
of the trailer. So he swap
sides and can be seen as
neutral that’s why he wear
grey as it is a neutral colour
as he is uncertain of sides.
So the clothing emphasised the opposing sides
and the binary oppositions and they are similar
to the trailers I have analysed, where depending
on the characters will depend on the clothing
they appear in. So I followed the conventions
that the villains wear dark clothing and the
innocent wear like clothing.

30. Props
• The props used in our trailer:
Fire
Envelope
Letter
Picture
Rope
Phone
The semantic elements encourages the audience as they have been used for a
dramatic effect and to show the audience something is happening. Also it shows
the genre of the trailer by the props we have used as they are specifically linked to
horror/thriller.

31. Location
• We used the typical locations that are used within a horror/thriller trailer.
The locations we picked were the woods, house and basement.
• These are typical conventions of a horror/thriller and we found these
were typical locations in a horror/thriller.

32. Titles
• These are used to make sure the audience understands what's going on and build
suspense and helps make them wary of what is actually going to happen? So the
title helps to tell the narrative

33. Magazine

34. Conventions of a Magazine
• Masthead- is a convention of a magazine. It is at the top of the page and it always
bold and in capitals. I looked at two magazines Empire and Film. However I
preferred the Empire masthead and magazine.
• Image- is a convention and all magazine contains at least one image, sometimes
more. However there will only be one main image on the magazine and this will
be related to the film and the shot tends to be mid-shot.
• Strap lines that will give the reader an insight to what's inside the magazine and
engage them to want to buy the magazine.
• Date
• Issue number
• Barcode

36. Comparing Magazine & Conventions
When making the magazine, I
decided to use a mid-shot for
my image and this is similar
to the Hellboy image. I placed
the image in the centre of the
magazine, so decided to use
this convention, which is like
the Hellboy magazine and
most Empire magazines.
Also I kept the layout similar
as I wanted it to represent the
magazines I had looked at
when doing my research.
Also I kept the colour scheme
similar to the Empire
magazine I just moved some
of the strap lines around to
make it a bit different and we
added red to the colour
scheme for some of the strap
lines as I did not want it to be
identical just similar and have
the correct conventions of a
magazine.

37. When creating my magazine, I decided to keep
the Empire masthead because the company was
well known and I really liked the font of the
masthead and how it fit across the top and
engaged the audience. So I used the same
masthead to make it identical and keep it similar. I
also place it behind the image like the Empire
magazine.
I also decided to keep it red as it went with our
chosen genre horror/thriller.
One thing I really liked about the Hellboy
poster was the was the circle with writing
in it. As i felt it was really engaging and
effective as it attracted the audience.
However we developed on it by changing
the colour scheme and font, also I put it
on the opposite side of the magazine.

38. Similar to the Hellboy magazine, I
kept the name of the film at the
bottom of the magazine. Just above a
strap line on the magazine. The font
is big and bold, in comparison to the
other text on the magazine. The
reason for this is so it stands out
more and so the reader
acknowledges the film first and
knows its the main article.Also we
matched the colour of the films name
with the title, to keep the scheme and
this is what most Empire magazines
do.
However we challenged the placing
of the text, because even though it
was in the middle on the Hellboy
magazine. I prefered are text more to
the right of the magazine.
I also placed a bar code on my magazine, which all magazine
contain regardless of the genre. However we placed it similar to
our research magazine, which was on the bottom left hand corner.
We also placed it horizontal like the Hellboy magazines bar code,
this kept the layout similar to our research magazine.

39. Poster

40. Conventions of a poster
• The poster must be eye catching and engage the
audience.
• It must show the films genre clearly to the
audience, so the correct audience is attracted.
• The relase date must be included.
• Cast must be included, so the audience can see
the starring actors.
• Directors and production company must be
included.

41. Poster Analysis

42. Comparing Poster &
Conventions
When making my poster, I could not stick to just one poster to use for my research. As I
found three posters I really liked them all and could not decide, however I was lucky
because they had a similar layout.
All three posters has a close up image, of some part of a person’s face. This made me
decide to take a close up shot, which is similar to the rest.

43. All three posters has a close up image, of
some part of a person’s face. This made
me decide to take a close up shot, which is
similar to the rest. I chose a close up of the
lower part of the actors face, like “prom
night”.The image helps to make the genre
clear on the poster which is a key
convention of film posters. It shows the
genre horror/thriller. Also it has a plain
simple background, buI developed the
plain background my adding a scratch
effect and this made the genre more clear
and easily portrayed to the audience.
I tried to use a similar font to the Scream
title, however I wanted it more sharp.
However I used the capital font and also
the colour of the font, which is white.
However I challenged the title, because all
three images had the title at the bottom,
but i put mine at the top as I felt it looked
better and made the poster look more
effective.
I also used the typical convention,
which all poster include regardless of
the genre. Included the casts names to
show the audience the stars. I used the
same font I used for my title just a
smaller size and not bold just capitals.

44. I also added the convention
of a a strap line/ slogan.
Which helps to show the
audience the specific genre
and engages the audience as
they are interested.
I think the use of a slogan is
effective.
At the bottom I followed the
layout of Dead Silence and
i added the director and
production company
information. This made
gave the poster the final
touch and made it look like
a real professional poster.
I also had the “Coming
Soon” right at the bottom of
the poster to show the
audience the release date
and give them information
they need.

45. Overall
Overall I feel that my trailer and two ancillary tasks used the conventions of a real
media product and the end outcome was very realistic. Due to the fact I used my
research to make sure that my work resembled real media products. My work
supports conventions of real media products rather than challenge. This was due to
the fact our company was a new production company and we wanted to guarantee
success and an audience. So I felt that we should take to many risks and challenge our
work to much to jeopardise the end result and quality of our final product.
Also I found no need to challenge the conventions to much as due to audience
research, I was informed in what they wanted and they wanted the normal
conventions of a horror/thriller.