The document discusses how the media product (a film trailer, magazine cover, and poster) uses conventions of real media. It analyzes the typical codes and conventions used in each type of media, such as using a positive opening scene in the trailer, masthead and cover lines on the magazine, and including the film title and release date on the poster. The document also discusses how audience feedback was invaluable during the production process, as it helped shape decisions around the genre, trailer synopsis, magazine cover design, and ensured the promotional materials would appeal to and attract audiences.

1. In what ways does your media
product use, develop or change the
codes and conventions of real media
product?
Film trailer
Magazine Front Cover
Film Poster

2. Film Trailer
Through the in depth research into existing media I have come across many different codes and
conventions which are essential for the trailer to be successful. Those have enabled my group to
produce a film trailer which consist of the main elements of a professional trailer and attracts the
audience attention through the use of predictable codes and conventions but also the variations
which make the trailer be more interesting.
These are the typical codes and conventions which build a trailer:
• Positive opening scene (equilibrium) which turns to be a horror (disequilibrium)
• Character roles are recognisable though the use of make-up and costume
• Trailer consists of release date, credits at the end of it (including actors names), institution
• Dissolves and blackouts through out the film
• Text on the screen to support the narration
• Music which enhances the genre convention (for a horror it would be creepy music)
• Progressing pace to increate the tension and raise enigmas
• Film name

3. Our film trailer starts of with equilibrium which is a typical convention used in horror trailers
because it introduces the audience to the characters through the introduction to their life. The
happy scene is meant to attract the audience attention and make them think of the possible
changes that will appear to the characters life. Because it is essential to the audience to feel the
connection with the actors the positive opening scene reflects the modern audiences life and
shows how thin the boundary of good and evil is.
The research into the different trailers showed me how to construct the opening scene to make it
successful and to make it attractive for the audience. The pace of the opening scene is much
slower than the pace of the negative, scary parts which shows the difference between the typical
life and how it changes during to the problems we face in everyday life. Each one of the trailer I
have watched started of with a positive opening scene and therefore it shows how trough filming
and editing we have followed a typical convention and how it relates back to the trailers that
already exist.
This is an example of a positive opening scene in ‘Cabin
in the woods’ trailer. The audience are lead into knowing the
characters before hand to be able to put themselves into their
position. This also allows the audience to realise how
unexpected life is and how it changes within minutes. The
happy scene has been enhanced though very bright lighting
and bold colours. The characters facial expression and gesture
also suggest that they are living a happy life.
Similarly our film trailer starts of with a equilibrium where the characters are in the metro station and
are heading towards a hotel where their dream holidays should take place. The lighting used in that
scene is also very bright as well as the pace is slow to show the happy moments. Overall, the use of
equilibrium in our film trailer is successful and reflects many of the existing media products.

4. The characters roles which has been described by Propp are also very important for the success
of a film trailer. In our production it is clearly visible that characters roles has been established by
the use of costume and the use of make-up including the fake blood.
The representation of the villain was constructed through the use of make up and blood. We have
made sure that the characterisation relates back to the ghost/demon typical theme of horror
therefore the antagonists face is white with the visible blood. The costume is very simple
however the blood emphasizes the characters role because it is also covered in blood. This is a
typical convention used in different trailers because it allows the audience to realise who is the
negative character.
Due to the limited budget and lack of professional equipment we were unable
to replicate any of the professional characterisations of the antagonist
nevertheless we can see links between the antagonist from ‘Grudge’ and our
trailer. The paleness of the face relates back to the ghost theme as well as the
blood used signifies the danger and hate.
Even though in the production of ‘Grudge’ a professional make up and costumes
has been used I think that our interpretation is also very successful as the
character looks more realistic and it is appropriate for our intended audience of
the age of 16 as it is not as unnatural and disgusting.
The example also shows the antagonist being a female nevertheless it is very
rare for a female to be the main antagonist. It often is male or a unspecified
character. Therefore this is the variation we have applied to our trailer. This
differentiates the audience more because as Laura Moulery theory says the
cinema portrays the audience as male therefore our variation will also attract
female because a strong sense of feminism is shown.

5. The narration has been enhanced through the use of ‘text on the screen’ which gives the
audience broader idea of what the trailer is about and links back to the conventions of Nosferatu
where the narration of entire film was done through the use text on the screen. This has been
done because they have lacked of technology and also because their intended audience had no
experience with films so they did not know what to expect therefore this had to be thoroughly
explained to them through the use of text. nowadays, text on screen helps the audience
understand the story line and informs them of what has happened. Not only Nosferatu but also
todays productions consist of a similar technique of supporting the narration.
This is an example of how narration has been
supported in ‘The Strangers’ trailer. This has influenced
our production because It helped us to understand
what such a text is used and how does it help in
representing the genre. As well as ‘The Strangers’ film
trailer as well as our through the use of specific text
tries to play with the audiences mind. By saying ‘ what
are you afraid of’ they are trying to say that the worse
hasn’t come yet and this is how the trailer has
successfully raised enigmas because it makes the
audience wonder about the oncoming scenes.
It was very important to keep the trailer consistent
therefore we have made sure that all of the text used is
of the same font and size to keep it look professional,
in exact way how the real producers keep their trailers
look professional.

6. All of the typical conventions which have been used in the trailer are clearly visible to the
audience. The last bits of the trailer consist of the credits where we have included the films
name, the actors names as well as institution and directors name. very often the audience are
told the directors name at the beginning of the film because this is how they would attract their
attention- if the audience have liked the pervious productions of a certain director they would
also like to watch the newest one. Unfortunately, we were unable to apply this convention to our
trailer as we were the directors.
Nevertheless, to attract our intended audience which are people from the age of 16 to 26 we
have decided to have characters of similar age to show the connection between the characters
and the audience. This turned to be successful because a lot of the audience to which the trailer
has been shown felt the connection and saw the reflection of today’s youth in the film. Having
new, unknown actors in the film brings a fresh scent to it, nevertheless type casted characters
attract to the audience through their fame and the films they have created before.
Following, we have decided to separate the release date from the credits because this is what has
to attract the attention and by leaving it by itself we have underlined the importance of it. It has
also been clearly visible to the audience rather than a small release date in between the credits
would be.

7. The use of music has been highly important for our trailer. The sound used enhances the different
features such as coming danger and increases tension which surely also increases the audience
attention to the film. A good use of sound will make the trailer being more successful because it
would enhance the main moments where for example it is meant to be scary. We have
successfully applied the diegetic sound to the trailer because the last scene with the combination
of sound makes people jump (we have noticed this while playing the trailer to the focus group).
In construction of our trailer we applied many dissolves and blackouts to smoothly transfer from
one scene to another. This is also noticeable in different trailers because the moments when the
screen is black allow the audience to think of the following scenes it also adds to the misery and
not expectance of a horror film.
To raise enigmas and show possibly least number of scenes we have decided to increase the
pace which with combination of blackouts gives the audience idea of the story line however does
not tell the entire story and does not predict the ending. All of this has in cooperated into
making the trailer more successful and appealing to the audience.

8. Magazine Front Cover
Second of the promotional devices which I have been asked to create is a magazine front cover.
This has been much easier than producing a film trailer as the entire of AS coursework was based
on it. The experience which I had from last year allowed me to produce an effective magazine
front cover which would attract many audience to the film. Although the magazine which I have
created was about music it I could still use similar features and those are:
Masthead
Selling line
Cover lines
Barcode
Main Cover line
(tile of the film)
Price
Freebees

9. For the AS piece of coursework which was a music magazine I have carried out in depth research
to find out typical codes and conventions of a film magazine cover. I have also carried out many
different questionnaire which has informed me of what the audience would like to see in a front
cover of the magazine.
Even though each one of us in the group had to create an individual front cover we have all
decided to use the same magazine title which Is SHOCK. The reason why we have decided to call
it SHOCK is because this is the audiences main reaction to horror and what they see on the
screen.
Empire is a publisher which specialises in promoting horrors
therefore for my research I have evaluated one of their front covers.
Through constructing my magazine cover I have tried to reflect the
main codes and conventions which are clearly visible on this front
cover. Similarly to empire I have decided to keep the cover in 3 main
colours therefore that is red which signifies the danger and relates
successfully to the theme of the film; different shades of white and
grey to keep the dark style of the cover; black which signifies the
misery and danger.
The masthead is also at the top of my magazine however, above it
we have cover lines which also inform the audience of what is
included inside the magazine. This gives a higher change of the
magazine to be purchased as they may be interested in one of the
listed films therefore they buy the magazine.
The main similarity is seen through the use of the main image where it is on the right side of the page
and allows the audience to see who the main character is. This enhances the promotion because they
may know the actor so therefore they wil be attracted to the film and magazine.

10. I have decided to keep the layout very simple because the main attention is meant to be on the
promotion of the film therefore on the image or on the main cover line.
For the text I have went on dafont.com website where I was able to choose from many different
fonts which would mostly suit my magazine. I have decided to use the ‘horror hotel’ font
because the style and texture of it related back to the theme of our film. Last year I have also paid
a lot of attention to the different fonts and I have compared and contrast them to find the best
one therefore this year it was much easier to decide upon the best font.
The main image stands out a lot on the black background. I have kept in in a bluish tones to make
it look more interesting and as my audience preferred. Because the rest of the magazine is kept
In very similar and toned colours the image is much more visible and allows the audience to
concentrate on it more therefore it will stay in their mind and they will remember to watch the
film.
For comparison these are both magazine covers which I
have created based on the draft trailer. The cover where
the antagonist is of realistic colours is effective however the
bluish one adds to the misery and the seriousness of a
horror film. Audience feedback which I have received was
constructive as well as the audience have said that they like
the cover with blue image more.
Overall, I believe that reflecting the main codes and
conventions of a real magazine covers was successful and
the cover which I have created would attract the audience
and would do well as a promotional device.

11. Film Poster
Third of the promotional devices which I have created is a poster. Posters are meant to give the
audience the most basic information but mainly attract their attention to the film . After creating
the magazine font cover I have tried to reflect similar conventions on the poster for example use
the same colours and images of a similar style.
Release date Film name
Age restriction
Main image
Way of interaction
Cover lines

12. To make sure all of the 3 promotional devices are similar and relate back to one product I have
made sure that the poster links back to magazine cover and the trailer. This is clearly visible
through the use of similar image the bluish theme remains the same. The font of the title of the
film remains the same as well as the colour scheme. Any of the audiences who have seen the
cover and looked at the poster would know that they are related to the same product.
The variation in my film poster is that the film title is at the top whereas it is
broadly noticeable that film name is at the bottom just above the description.
Following, I have also included cover lines which are not predictable however
give the audience more information of the film. There is also a high number of
very predictable conventions such as having the age restriction which informs
the audience from what age you are able to watch a film. The release date has
been also included at the top od the page at the sides of the title as I want it to
be as noticeable as the title because the audience must know when the film is
coming out to the cinemas. To make sure the audience are able to interact I
have included a link to the Facebook page for our trailer so that the audience
are able to ask us questions and find more information.
Something which is also very significant to make a poster successful is the image. I have decided to
place the image of the antagonist on the middle of the page so that the audience are able to feel a
direct eye connection with the character. The colours of the image are kept the same as they were
on the magazine front cover.
Overall I think that the poster is very successful because it consist of the predictable codes and
conventions but also includes a lot of variations which make it unique.

13. How effective is the combination of
your main product and ancillary text?

14. The main product and the ancillary prints are meant to all work together and be a successful
promotional device which attract the attention of the audience. The main reason why I have
created the promotional devices it to attract the audiences attention to the film; to give them
information about the film before they watch it to make sure they are not disappointed with the
film when they watch it. information included in the trailer as well as ‘interview with the star of
‘The Sacrifice’ which has been promoted on the magazine front cover gives the audience an
opportunity to find out more about the film and it is intend to attract them to it.
All of the 3 devices work together very successful because the audience are able to see the
similarities of all of those products through the use of similar codes and conventions such as
similar colours used and the main character being in the centre of attention. All of the products
are very conventional however they also challenge the convention by the use of female
protagonist for example. This allows the audience to be surprised with what is coming and makes
them think of what the film is about therefore it turns out to be very successful promotional
device.
Major impact on the decisions which I have made regarding creating of the magazine and poster
was the AS level coursework. By competing the previous year work I was able to more
successfully come up with ideas which would attract the audience attention and apply different
variation. Because the research which I have done last year was very extensive it has saved me a
lot of time this year because I was already aware of the typical codes and conventions of a
magazine and poster.
Overall, the production of three different devices has taught me how important this process is in
achieving the success of selling the film and making it attractive to the audience.

15. What have you learned from your
audience feedback?

16. Audience feedback was one of the most important influences to the process of production of the
promotional devices. Because as a producer you are not able to criticise your own work as you
think it cannot be any better it is essential to get a feedback from audience.
We have decided to change the synopsis of our trailer mainly because the audience did not find
our trailer interesting. Therefore what is the point of making product that does not attract
audience?
If we have not received this feedback we would keep developing an idea which was not
successful and would not attract the audience. Therefore for us audience feedback was one of
the most important things over the production process.
Nevertheless, audience feedback was very important since we have started the course. First of all
audience helped us to decide upon the genre of the film . The results mostly reflected our own
thoughts therefore it was even more satisfying that the product of a genre which we want to
produce will be also attractive to the audience.
Following, audience have massively influenced my decision of what kind of a magazine cover to
produce because I was unsure of the main image and the way the cover should be constructed. I
believe that feedback was crucial and without it I would not be able to create such an attractive
magazine cover. The same appeals to the poster however here the first draft was already
positively commented by the audience.
To gather audience feedback we have not only created questionnaires but also video interviews
which are more interesting and gives more options of interpretation.
Overall, I believe that without the audience feedback I would be unable to create any of the
promotional devices and be able to construct such an promotional pack.

17. How did you use media technologies
in the construction and research,
planning and evaluation stages?

18. Adobe Photoshop was one of the most important software while creating the ancillary task. The
two prints: magazine front cover and a film poster have been created through the use of
Photoshop only. Because AS coursework was based on creating a music magazine front cover I
have developed my skills in using Photoshop and the experience allowed me to successfully edit
and use the different features that Photoshop provides. Nevertheless, I have come act=ross
minor problems although those could be quickly looked up on YOUTUBE.COM which was one of
the research tools which I have used whenever I had to get tips of how to use features of
Photoshop. I think the use of Photoshop was very successful and it enabled me to create a very
effective promotional devices.
Blogger is one of the software where I have presented my work. Because I have
worked in a team having a blog has made the communication process a lot easier.
We could effectively communicate within the group looking at each others work
and the schedule which we have created to keep up with the deadlines. An
advantage is also that the work can be presented in many different ways which can
all b uploaded on blogger.

19. Cameras were one of the most important devices which we
have used in the production of our work. Without it we would
be unable to film therefore the wok could not be completed.
Because we are not professional photographers and
cameraman we have used a tripod to avoid the ‘shaky hand
effect’ and make the image look stable. Tripod has also helped
us to pan because it is a lot easier to spin the camera steady
with the tripod than by doing it by hand. All of the images and
videos were stored on a memory card as well as hey were
backed up onto google drive which can be accessed from any
computer and it is much safer than carrying a USB which can be
damaged or lost.
To create the trailer we have used FINAL CUT PRO which has
been provided by the iMac's which we have in our media class.
Final cut pro was a little bit complicated to use however the
practice tasks and again Youtube.com has helped us to
successfully edit the clips and apply different sound which has
been created with the use of garage band also available on
IMac's.