Our film trailer uses and develops some common codes and conventions of film trailers while also challenging others. It introduces the main character, a young blonde girl, and establishes the thriller genre through clues like her bruises and the creepy music. However, it does not clearly show the antagonist or stick to conventions like only using low-key lighting. The poster uses subtle colors like greens and browns to depict the protagonist alone in the woods, restricting what she can say, rather than using typical thriller colors or showing weapons. The magazine cover similarly uses red and black text to stand out while featuring the main character and promoting exclusive interviews.

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

2. Codes and Conventions of Film
Trailers
Job:
•Attract an audience
•Make the audience want to then see the whole film
•Introduce characters
•Introduce plot
•Introduce genre
•Split into 3 – the beginning (key elements of the story), the middle (explains that narrative more), the end (the
climax, accompanied with powerful music).
Institution Logos:
This is often one of the first things shown in a film trailer. This makes it clear what institution distributed and
produced the film. This is also a way of promoting the film. As if you see a big well known institution before a
trailer you're bound to watch as you fee like it will be good. Or you may gave a favourite institution so if you
see the logo you will most likely be interested in the film.

3. Selling Points:
•Trailers are a great way for the films USP’s to be flaunted.
•This is where the film can introduce the fact that they have bankable stars. These are popular and often
attractive actors and actresses that will entice an audience. For example; Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo
DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson and Angelina Jolie. If an audience was to see that these stars were apart of the
film then they are likely to want to watch it.
•Other USP’s can also be shown, such a the genre, Action is more likely to have a mass audience and Horror a
Niche. So Action would be a USP.
Sound:
•Sound involves- music, voiceovers and dialogue. Sound is an important feature, allowing for a sense of
direction to take place in the trailer.
•The use of music gives off an impression of the genre of film. Already establishing the amount if tension there
will be in a film.
•Voiceover narration can also be important at illustrating the plot of a film.
•Dialogue can give the audience a sense of regional identity, again either being a USP or something intriguing
to an audience.
Length:
•Many films may have more than one trailer, this will depend on the time and budget that an institution has.
•There is always an official trailer lasting around 1:30 – 2:00 minutes long.
•Some horror and Action film trailers might last a shorter amount of time, this will create more tension,
unknowing and suspense.

4. Codes and conventions of Film genres
Thriller
•Some of the ‘best bits’ are shown to attract the viewer
•Title and credits are usually near the end or through out
•Music interacts with what is on/coming on the screen (scary or intense non-diegetic asynchronous music)
•Short dialogue
•Low-key lighting
•Screams
•Institution companies logo is at the start
•Props – blood, guns, knives, dolls, creepy children, devilish, goats and bruises (make up)
•Colours – red, blacks, dark green, dark blue, yellow and greys
•Quick continuity editing
•Isolated setting
•Girls (most likely blonde)
•Antagonist is usually a male
•Pale skin
‘Silence of the Lambs’ – 1991 ‘Dorian Gray’ – 2009 ‘The Exorcist’ - 1973

5. Our Trailer
Our idea of what a trailer should be went very well. We believe that it will attract people to
watch due to our very young main character and the creepy uncertainty of what will happen
to her.
We have really introduced the main character, it is clear she is the protagonist as we see her
straight away and all the way throughout. Other characters are introduced through voice, he
may be a news reporter that has a key role in the film, also other Mallory Family members are
shown.
A plot and genre are very obvious to the audience. The creepy music, the bruises on a blonde,
pale, little girl, she’s running through a secluded woods from someone, with only a small
amount of dialogue. Colours used such as red costume also add the idea of danger. The genre
of a Thriller is established along with a plot, shown through characters and the mood board,
she is being stalked and she isn't the first victim.
We do not have many USP’s, as we wouldn’t have famous people staring in our trailer.
However, we do have someone in our own year making it more interesting for our target
audience shown to our school colleges. Horrors attracted a very niche audience but Thriller is
becoming more popular this year, with films such as; Split, Get Out and Don’t Breath,
meaning others will want to watch it.
Use

6. Challenge and Develop
We think that our trailer does challenge some codes and conventions as we do not show our
antagonist for the whole time, this creates enigma but doe mean that a main character is not
introduced. We also do not stick to the ‘Low-key’ lighting rule, a lot of our filming was done
during the day and not all of it is supposed to be dark and gloomy so there is a lot of high-key
lighting to give off a natural day flow to the majority of our trailer.
We do not use the non-diegetic asynchronous sound of screams or anything to obvious, our
production is more to be an indie film that differs from of the normal ‘happy ending
Hollywood’ films. Most of the things that we have shown in our trailer has kept things a bit
hidden behind doors. Its very subjective as to what will happen to this girl, we know she has a
black eye but what other horrors has this young girl endured.

7. Common Codes and Conventions of
film posters
Many films have a unique selling point, this is usually a high profile actor/ A list celebrity or ever its genre. This
is to attract the audiences attention to the movie. For example, Daniel Radcliff would be the unique selling
point for the 007 film ‘Spectre’ as he is a familiar Mr Bond and therefore he is the central focus within this
poster. He acts as a hook for the audience and as he is extremely well known, this is an example of
iconography.
Posters have space to show art and advertising. They are for promoting upcoming films/albums through an
artistic approach to appeal to people in a different way than trailers do. People will not only see them around
on street walls but can also buy them and hang them on their walls; this may be due to being a fan of the band
or the actors in the film. Colours play a very important role in the making of a film poster. For example, it can
address genre and make important information stand out.
A Tag line is a branding slogan often used in marketing and advertising. The reason for this is to create a
memorable or questionable phrase that will sum up what it is advertising or to reinforce the audience's
memory of a product. Many tag lines give an insight to the film without giving too much away, encouraging
audience’s to look some more into film. For Example, The ‘Contagion’ poster includes a tag line ‘Don’t talk to
anyone. Don’t touch anyone’ across the very top centre of the poster to catch the eye line of the viewer.

8. The title of the film is an extremely important feature of a movie poster as audience members need to know and be
able to recall the name of the movie if they wish to see it in the cinema or watch the trailer online. Titles are usually
in large fonts somewhere very obvious to be seen.
The ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ title is imprinted centre of the poster in bright white letters, in the
typical Harry Potter font branding the poster as apart of the franchise. Commonly, film titles are written in white or
capital letters to allow them to stand out against the photo.
Movie posters often have a colour scheme. This makes it easier to see the genre of the film without it having to be
said. For example, a poster surrounded by grey, red and black would stand out to be a horror. Colours such as pink
and baby blue would link the poster to a romance. This is all due to the connotations these colours typically have. A
colour scheme can also be used to appeal to certain niche audiences, for example; a romantic romcom’s primary
audience would be females so they would want to use pretty feminine colours to appeal to this primary audience.
Many movie posters contain a credit block at the bottom of the poster to highlight key importance. For example,
actors and institutions that created the film. Such as the: production company; scriptwriter; music producers;
costume designers and make up artists etc.
Credit block’s are usually kept to a smaller font down at the bottom of the poster, this is because although it is
important information this information can be found at the start of a film or through out a trailer as well, so it does
not want to distract and dominate from the main advertisement of the film photo.

9. Our Film Poster
Use
Similar to many film posters our main image is of the protagonist, we used make up to
create the effect of a black eye. This matches with out film trailer and magazine cover, the
purple, black and red eye shadows make it clear that she has been abused, making the
genre of a thriller clear. It also includes a credit block.
Challenge and develop
Unlike many Thriller film posters we did not stick the obvious black and red background
colours. We actually took a photo of the antagonist in the woods with; greens, yellows and
browns, these a very subtle colours that give off the idea of being scared and alone in the
woodlands. Also, instead of any weapons in sight we used the idea of restricting her from
speaking, as if she is not allowed, physically and emotionally.

10. Magazine Front Cover Forms
Typography: Font
A Masthead: The title
Typography: Readers become familiar with what
magazine they are reading
Main Image: Typically showing the person(s) or
object directly associated with the main
feature/article.
Selling line/Strapline: To describe the
magazine/make you pick it.
Tag: The word used to engage a to pick it up over
another e.g. ‘Exclusive’, ‘Preview’, this showing
that the magazine has high compliments.
Cover lines: The main articles inside the magazine
Barcode/Issue number/Dateline & Price: Needed
to be bought
Others: Price and Barcode

11. Our Magazine Front Cover
Use
Red and black writing is used to make writing about our production stand out. For
example, ‘Exclusive Interviews with the Cast’ and ‘Restrict Me Special’. I think we
have stuck to the codes and conventions in a sense that we have all of the
necessary affects. Such as; a website, price, barcodes, masthead, tag, selling
phrase and the protagonist as the main image.
Challenge and develop
Unlike many Thriller magazine covers, again we did not stick the obvious black and
red background colours. We used another photo of the antagonist in the woods.
Being scared and alone in the woodlands. We also used yellow for writing to link
other mentioned films in with our own.