The document discusses how the media product, a horror film trailer, uses and develops conventions of real horror film trailers. It analyzes the trailer's use of location, lighting, sound, camera shots, binary opposites between the antagonist and protagonists, and typography. The trailer conforms to horror genre conventions through its isolated location, minimal lighting, incorporation of unsettling sounds, shots that build tension, clear power dynamic between characters, and use of on-screen text. The document examines in detail how each formal element was employed to effectively emulate established horror trailer tropes.

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

2. In this presentation I will be discussing the codes and conventions of horror films and if my
horror trailer conformed to them or challenged them and why I chose to do so.
The codes and conventions that I will be discussing will be as following :
1. Location
2. Lighting
3. Sound
4. Use of camera shots
5. Effects
6. Power struggle (binary opposite's)
7. Typography
8. Young teenage characters

3. LOCATION
I felt that the location of my horror trailer conformed very much to the conventions of a horror
film as it was a isolated area in which there was no obvious signs of contact with the outside
world directly leaving the audience to feel that there would be no escape for the victims and
that they were at the mercy and doomed at the hands of the antagonist. The reason why I
chose to use my garage as my location for my horror trailer is due to the fact that it looked
very scary as it looks like an abandoned warehouse or piece of property leading the audience
to think even further that there will be no escape for the victims. I used this idea of a location
for my trailer from the horror film ‘Hostel’.
I felt that the location of my horror trailer proved pivotal in my trailer because it had a creepy
vibe to it which made the task of editing easier than I thought it would be reason being
because the location was already scary which meant that I would not have needed to add a
vast amount of effects to the trailer because the location of the trailer was very much useful
in getting the type of trailer I wanted executed.

4. LIGHTING
Lighting is also very much imperative to my trailer reason being because for my horror trailer
to conform to the conventions of a horror trailer it would need to have minimal scenes or
shots with full exposure to light. In order to do this I adapted some ideas from the ‘Hostel’
horror trailer , in order to replicate such scenes with minimum exposure to full light but still
enough light for the audience to be aware of what is happening in the shot I shot my trailer at
night so that I would not have exposure from light from outside then I used a torch and
attached it to my camera so that the audience would be able to see what I wanted to show
them but parts of scenes would not be clear which purposely due to the fact that I wanted
some parts of scenes and shots to be ambiguous so that the audience would not be able to
be aware of everything that was in the shot and then would be left wondering and pondering
such thoughts as ‘what was that object in the corner’ which would bring them to have a fear
of the unknown. I also used lighting effectively to conform to the conventions of a horror
trailer reason being because my lighting allowed me to show the victims as isolated and very
much venerable in the room that they were in , another idea I adapted from the ‘Hostel’
trailer.

5. SOUND
The use of sound was also very imperative in my trailer reason being because sound is one of
the most important things in any trailer that catches the audiences attention ; through the
use of sound as well as the use of camera shots would ultimately make my trailer so I needed
to make sure that I used the correct sound in my trailer so that I would be able to make my
audience feel the way I wanted them to feel about parts of my trailer I chose so as well as it
meaning that I would be able to predict their reaction to certain scenes in conjunction with
the use of sound so that I will be able to have an effect trailer and so that they would be able
react in certain ways that I wanted them to through the use of sound.
I used a vast amount of sounds in my trailer but the one I enjoyed using the most was the
laughing child sound , I added this in to scenes where there would be a lapse of sound
between one scene and another so that there would be no parts of my trailer where my
audience will not be able to hear anything. This very much conformed to the convention of a
horror trailer in the respect that it had the intended affect of scaring the audience because
they were not able to comprehend where the noise originated from and kept them on the
edge anticipating a climax only for the trailer to slow down and only for the audience to be
shocked and scared by the use of the jump shot. Horror wise the sound of a laughing baby is
often seen as demonic i.e. the devil possessing babies because they are venerable

6. CAMERA SHOTS
The use of camera shots was also very much important for me to be able to make the exact
horror trailer that I had in mind reason being because it meant I was able to achieve the shots
that I felt would help to make my horror trailer the trailer that I intended it to be. My horror
trailer conformed to the conventions of a horror trailer very much through the use of camera
shots to a large degree. This shown through the opening shot which was a establishing shot
to show the audience exactly where the trailer will be taking place as well as through the of
close ups to emphasise the facial expressions of the victims. I also handheld the camera to
make it appear very much realistic and point of view shots to allow the audience to feel like
they are a part of the trailer.
I also attained some of the inspirations of shots from other horror films that I have watched in
order for the audience to be familiar with the type of shots that they will see as well as it
making it easier for me so that I could use it as a template to build on in which I could then
use my own ideas.

7. BINARY OPPOSITES
My horror trailer also conformed to another conventions which is that the victims as usually
young teenagers and are often female ; as well as conforming to the convention that the
horror trailer had obvious binary opposites , this was shown as it was obvious that the torturer
was the antagonist and that his victims where the protagonists. This was further much shown
due to the fact that the antagonist was standing throughout the duration of the whole trailer
which was done purposely to show that he was in a position of power in contrast to the
protagonists who were sat down throughout the duration of the trailer to show they were at
the mercy of the powerful antagonist.

8. TYPOGRAPHY
Typography was also very much important in my trailer as it meant that I was able to deliver
messages to my audience whilst they were watching the trailer. The reason why I chose to do
this instead of using a voice over was due to the fact that I was restricted to what resources
that I had meaning that if I myself was to do the voice over it would not sound as professional
as I would want it to and then for that reason my trailer would not sound or look the way I
wanted it to reason being because the trailer is made most importantly by the sound working
in conjunction with the footage.
my horror trailer conformed to the conventions of a horror trailer when I used typography
reason being because it is common feature in horror trailers for there to be typography.

9. THANK YOU FOR
VIEWING