The document discusses the conventions of film trailers and how they were used and developed in the author's trailer. It begins by outlining typical elements of trailers such as runtime, release date, titles, and certification. It then analyzes the conventions of crime thriller trailers, including editing techniques, camera shots, sound, mise-en-scene, characters, and settings that build tension and suspense. The author explains how they applied these conventions in their own trailer through shots, editing, sound, costumes, lighting, and other elements to engage the audience and effectively communicate the genre.

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

2. Codes and conventions of a
trailer
Trailers stick to the general codes and conventions for in order for it
to be successful.
● Most trailers usually last about 2-3 minutes.
● They include the release date.
● The title of the film is included.
● Other titles relating to the clips are shown in the trailer.
● Names of the characters.
● Production logo
● An age certification, which is there to provide a guideline for the
type of target audience
● Music and voiceovers
● Social media

3. CONVENTIONS
INCLUDED
IN OUR TRAILER

4. The company details

5. Title of Trailer

6. The length of the trailer

7. The release date

8. Codes and convention of crime
thriller trailers
➢ Genre:
The genre of the film determines how the film will be set out and presented. When creating crime thriller trailers it
is essential to keep in mind the micro features. These include editing, mise-en-scene, sound and camera.
➢ Camera:
There are lots of different types of shots used within crime thriller trailers. This includes, establishing shots, high
and low angle, long shots, close ups, medium close ups, shot reverse shot, panning and many more. These
shots are used to create suspense and build tension for the audience. They are also used to easily convey the
genre of the trailer.
➢ Editing:
Editing is used in crime thriller trailers in a way to create an uncomfortable or a suspenseful atmosphere for the
target audience by adding lots of fast cuts, sudden change of camera angles. This disorientates the viewer as it
creates an on screen tension, which is key for crime thriller trailers.
➢ Sound:
The sound used for crime thriller trailers is for building tension with eerie or tense music being played as diegetic
or non-diegetic. High pitched sound is often used to make the audience feel uncomfortable and to give them a
sense that something unpleasant is about to take place in the scene and making it seem as though they are
experiencing the film through the character’s point of view.

9. Continued...
Mise en scene:
Customes:The customes always depend on the role of the character. For example, if the
character is good, he will most likely wear white and other light colours, and if the character is
playing the villain role then he will most likely wear dark colours, such as, black.
Lighting: The lighting in mostly all crime thriller trailers is dark and dull, often rainy. This is to
create tension and build suspense for the audience.
Props: The props that are mostly used in all crime thriller trailers are weapons, such as, knives
and guns. The use of props helps to inform the audience of the genre of the film.
Locations: Crime thriller films are often set in dark, mystery, gloomy locations. For example, in
areas with less population. For example, the woods or jungles.
Titles: The titles are used to further inform the audience about the film and to engage them.
Theme: The theme of crime thriller films often involves revenge killing, murder, suicide, mental
illnesses and many more. These themes help the audience to easily identify the genre and
they also create tension.
Characters: The type of characters that are typically used are the villain, the promiscuous girl,
a hero, the innocent/damsel in distress girl.

10. What all Crime Thriller films include
- When watching the many different crime thriller trailers and analysing
them before creating our final trailer, me and my team members found
the trailers did not give the full storyline away. The story is told in lots
of different clips put together, each scene lasting about 3 or 4
seconds. This technique is used to make the audience want to watch
the full film when it is out in the cinema.
- Most trailers had the typical characters of a crime thriller film. This
includes the damsel in distress, the promiscuous girl, the hero and the
villain.
- The trailers length is always about 2.5-3 minutes long.
- Lots of different shots and editing techniques are used in the trailer all
at once showing lots of clips.
- They are always set in mysterious/spooky looking areas.
- The sound (diegetic/non diegetic) further contributes to the genre.

11. Analysis of film trailers

12. The Raid 2
Analysing this trailer,
as well as analysing
other tailers, further
developed my
understanding of the
key points and
conventions of a crime
thriller trailer.I clearly
became aware of
exactly what we
needed to include in
our trailer

13. Themes

14. Our Narrative
The November Man and Gone Girl had a massive contribution to our narrative. As a group we
decided that we like narratives of these two films and to base our narrative for our trailer as
something similar to the narrative of these films.

15. Deciding on our narrative
We have changed our narrative at least three times after getting audience
feedback and by carrying out focus groups.
Our first narrative idea was to have Shiwa Bakhtiyar as the person who
will be killed. However, after getting feedback we were told that it would
be better if the character Sarah Jones is killed as it would make more
sense, because she cheated with her sister’s husband.
We carried out some more research and wanted to stick with our original
plot of having the character Shiwa Bakhtiyar murdered instead. This is
because it would create a lot of tension and build suspense for the
audience making them wonder how and why she was murdered instead
of Sarah Jones, because she is the one who planned the murder of
Sarah Jones.

16. Camera
I followed the codes and conventions of the use of camera in crime
thriller films. I found that the trailers we analysed had various
different camera shots. This includes, establishing/wide shots,
close ups, medium close ups, long shot, medium shot, pan, shot
reverse shot and many more. Me and my group focused on these
shots throughout the making of our trailer.

17. Establishing/wide Shot
In our trailer we used establishing/wide shots
to establish and clearly show the setting of
where the trailer is set. These shots provide an
overall view of the whole scene. The
establishing shot is used at the start of the
scene to show and inform the audience of
where it is set. The settings create an
atmosphere and further builds tension as to
what is going to happen next in the clip.

18. Low angle shot
The first low angle shot of Shiwa Bakhtiyar is used to
make her look isolated and vulnerable and may
show that she’s weak. It also shows that someone
might be looking down on her, which connotes that
she is not worth anything in their eyes. The second
low angle shot of Shiwa Bakhtiyar and the killer
shaking hands, shows that they are making a serious
deal. This camera angle focuses closely on the
handshake, showing that something terrible is about
to take place. The low angle of Shiwa sitting on the
stairs again makes her look vulnerable.

19. More Shots
Shot reverse shot:
This shot is used to show the
conversation that takes place
between the two sisters. It also
builds tension as the camera
moves from one character to the
other quite quickly. This shot
clearly shows their facial
expressions which also adds to
the building of tension and
suspense building.
Two shot:
This shot is used to show
both characters in the same
frame. It shows their body
language and facial
expressions. Sarah Jones’s
body language is more
relaxed than Shiwa’s as her
body language tells the
audience she is stressed out
and looks disappointed.
Extreme close up:
This shot is used to show
the disappointment and
worried look in Shiwa
Bakhtiyar’s eyes.

20. Shots continued...
Point of view shot:
This is a point of view shot from Shiwa
Bakhtiyar. This shot is used to see from the
character’s point of view, to make the
audience feel as though they are with the
character in the film and they are also
involved in the action.
Wide/long shot:
This shot is very informative. This is
because it shows the audience where this
particular scene is set and also shows a
long shot of the two sisters. This allow the
audience to identify their body language
and clearly see what they are wearing.

21. Editing
Me and my team members followed the codes and
conventions of editing from other trailers and re created
some of the editing techniques in our trailer.

22. Editing Techniques
Cut away:
This shot is used as a buffer between the
shots used to help the editing process and
to move on to the next scene or to show
something in relation to what is being
shown with a cutaway effect.
Black and white effect:
The black and white effect is used to
inform the audience that the flashback is
being played and to help them easily
follow and understand the trailer without
getting confused.

23. Sound
We followed the conventions of a typical crime thriller
trailer for sound and included both diegetic and
nondiegetic sound.

24. Soundtrack:
I downloaded the soundtrack of our trailer that played in the background
throughout the duration of the whole trailer. I followed this convention by making
sure the soundtrack had a mysterious, eerie and thrilling effect to match the
genre. I selected my soundtrack on youtube, then converted the file into mp3 (as
you can seen from the print screen shown above). The soundtrack starts of slow,
then gets faster and louder adding more tension and building suspense. The
soundtrack is non diegetic, because the characters in the trailer cannot hear it.
I also included some diegetic dialogue, to help the audience understand the
narrative better. The dialogue by Shiwa Bakhtiyar “You’re my sister! How could
you do this to me?” adds to the understanding of the audience, making them
aware the other sister has done something terribly wrong.
The soundtrack gets louder and faster as Shiwa begins to run from the killer,
which builds suspense and gets the audience on the edge of their seats.

25. Characters - Conventions followed
Together with my team we followed the conventions of the typical
characters used in crime thriller films.
- We included the innocent girl Shiwa Bakhtiyar who has been deceived
and betrayed by her husband and sister and tries to take action
against it by seeking revenge, but fails to do so.
- The promiscuous girl, Sarah Jones, who is Shiwa’s sister.
- The villain who “pretends” to help Shiwa, but is really her sister and is
on her husband’s side. So he kills Shiwa instead of her sister.
- The husband, who plays the main role in the film and is mainly
responsible for Shiwa’s murder. Although He is not shown in the
trailer, keeping it at a mystery from the audience. The husband is
innocent in Shiwa’s eyes, as Shiwa is blaming only her sister, but she
is not aware that they are both equally at fault, and he is the one who
directs his friend (the killer) to kill Shiwa.
- We have also challenged the conventions of the good character. As
we decided to kill of the innocent character, instead of the evil
character.

26. Mise en scene
We have followed the conventions for the use of mise
en scene in our trailer.

27. Lighting
The lighting in the room when the two sister’s are
having a conversation is very gloomy and calm,
creating a tension between the two sisters as they
argue . There’s nothing in the background to distract
the audience, so the complete focus is just on the two
sister’s in this scene. The lighting is also not a
distraction, as it just simply adds to the mood of the
scene.
The lighting for this scene is in black and
white, to show that it is a flashback and is in
the past, but is there to show the audience
what had already happened.
The lighting for this scene has a daylight
effect to match the scene, as it shows the
two sister’s happily having a conversation.
The beautiful green grass colour also
adds to the mood of this scene.

28. Costume
Although Shiwa is wearing a
black coat. The white coloured
scarf around her neck helps to
add to her innocence as she is
not aware of the fact that her
murder is being planned and
her husband and sister have a
hand in the planning.The white
coloured scarf also shows that
she’s vulnerable
Although the killer’s face has
been hidden throughout the
trailer, the audience is able to see
that he wearing all black. This is a
convention which we followed
from watching other trailers, as
the villain is always dressed in
black. The colour helps the
audience to identify them as the
villain.
The two sister’s are both
dressed in similar dark
clothing.This is so that the
storyline is not given away to the
audience. The audience will not
be able to identify the innocent
and promiscuous girl
straightaway. This will further
grab their attention into the
trailer.

29. Props
The cones are used to
mark the area and to
show others that a murder
has been taken place in
that area.
The stone has been
shown to add to the
audience’s
understanding that one
of the character’s were
killed with the stone.This
also links to other crime
thriller trailers, as some
sort of weapon is always
involved.
The phone is used to
show the character’s
communicating with
each other through
electronic devices.
This also informs the
audience that some
tragedy will take place

30. Setting
The woods:
The starting is of a dead
body covered in a black bag
in the woods, to show the
audience that this is where
the murder was taken place.
I have followed the
conventions of a crime
thriller film, by having the
character killed in a
mysterious place.
Park:
Near the middle of the trailer,
the two sisters having a
happy moment together is
shown in the park, to add a
lively and happy effect to the
scene
Empty house:
The empty house adds to
Shiwa crying. The empty
house also shows that the
marriage between Shiwa
and her husband was not
very successful. This is
because the house they
both share does not look
like a family home and has
an empty effect.

31. Titles
The titles help the audience understand
what is happening in the various
scenes all shown in the trailer, so they
are able to follow the narrative/trailer
without getting confused with what is
happening. The audience are
introduced to the characters by having
the names next to the characters. The
names of the characters are in red and
the other titles are in black and white
basic font, standing out on the black
background.

32. Magazine
We followed the general codes and conventions of a
magazine by making sure we included the main
conventions in our magazine.

33. Conventions of a magazine
- Masthead: a title used to make the reader’s aware of what magazine
they are reading.
- Header: this is always below the masthead and may talk about
competitions and draws.
- Footer: this is always below the cover, which is another informative
convention of the magazine, as it informs the reader of other exciting
things to be found in the magazine.
- Splash/pull sticker: often used to attract the reader’s attention.
- Left third: this contains the main feature of what is inside the magazine.
- Cover lines: used to inform the leader of the main articles inside the
magazine. Often found on the right hand side of the magazine,
- Date/price/issue: to give the reader some vital information of the
magazine.
- Main image: the image of the person/object who is associated with the
magazine.
- Barcode: this is used for the company's purpose, as it informs them how
many of their magazine copies were sold whenever it is scanned.

34. Film magazine analysis

35. How I followed the conventions in my
magazine?
I followed the conventions of a magazine when creating my film magazine
by making sure I included the following:
- The masthead
- Header
- Footer
- Main cover line
- Left third
- Barcode/date/issue
- Flash/pull sticker
- Main image.
I have explained the use of them in the next few slides.

36. Analysis of film magazine
Masthead:
The masthead is in big, bold and capital blocks. The white colour goes really
well with the black background. It is in front of the image, making the reader
aware that it is the focal point of the cover. The colour give the title importance
and also stand out to the target audience. Whiite is often associated with
innocence, vulnerability, elegance, reflecting the character in the image, Shiwa’s
personality. The stereotype of the white colour can also be challenged, because
it can also connotate death and mystery. This will help the selling of the
magazine as it gives the magazine a sense of mystery. The masthead has taken
up a lot of space on the top section of the magazine. the effect of this is to make
the magazine stand out when placed on the shelf next to other magazines.
Main image:
This is a close up shot. The image of Shiwa sells the storyline more than any of
the other conventions. Her sad, dissapointed facial expression informs the
audience of her innocence, and makes the audience side Shiwa. She is looking
directly towards the audience, making them feel connected and involved with
her emotions.
The main cover line:
The main cover line is the title of the film.
The colours of the title are black and
yellow. The black blends in with the est of
the cover, whereas the yellow stands out
from the cover, giving the title a 3D effect.
The right colour will attract the reader's
attention towards the title, and if they were
to go away, the title will still be in their
mind.
Flash:
The flash is in a red
box with white text,
attracting the reader to
the magazine. The
flash shows other well
known magazines
produced by FILM
company.
Barcode/date/issue:
This informs the reader of the price. I have
placed this on the corner of the magazine
as it not that important and because I
would not want the read to be distracted
from the main elements of the cover. On
the other hand, it very important to the
company, because it informs them of how
many copies were sold and whether the
publication of this magazine is successful.

37. Left third:
The left third of the cover reveals where the main
part of the information and content is. The colour
of the text is white and yellow with grey boxes
around the yellow text. This is to make it stand out
to the target audience. So, when the target
audience have a look at the cover, this part of the
magazine will not be missed out and will also be
read.
Footer:
The footer informs the reader of other
content they will find in the magazine. It
is in yellow text, with a grey
background. This follows the style of
the bottom cover of the magazine.
Header:
This gives extra information to the reader.
The colour of the font is white, behind a
black background, following the general
style of the magazine.

38. Improved film magazine
Pull Sticker:
the pull sticker i in a grey circle with white text. The colour
grey is used to follow up the general houestyle of the front
cover, which mainly consists of white grey, white and black.
The pull sticker is b6ld, so the audience will have a quick
read at the pull sticker as well as all the other contents,
which means the pull stick will not be ignored and will draw
the reader’s attention, because it’s highlighting something
special as it is in a circle.
Left third:
I followed the conventions by adding a left third that
informs the reader of some of the exciting content they will
find inside the magazine.This technique is often used to
persuade the reader to by the magazine. I have used a
red banner with white text in capitals as the heading, to
attract the reader to this part of the magazine.
I added a quote above the title, so that the readers are
aware the quote is related to the film. The quote “most
shocking film of 2015” makes the film seem really
dramatic to the audience. Also, the quote is from a well
known person,which makes the audience more keen
and interested into the release of the film

39. Conventions of a poster
- They should keep the audience engaged.
- They always include the film’s title.
- Eye catching
- They include film ratings
- The names of the main characters
- Age ratings
- Quotations of someone who has already watched the
film.
- Company details

40. Poster analysis
We carried out analysis of four different film posters in order to fully understand the conventions
needed for a film poster. The analysis helped me with the layout of my final poster. The layout of
the poster “The November Man” is slightly similar to my poster. I used ideas from this particular
poster and also taking ideas from other posters to make it seem like a professional film poster.

41. Analysis of film poster and conventions
followed
Positive quote:
This is a film poster convention that
I carried out in my poster. The effect
of this is that it brings a positive
insight into the film and would make
the target audience watch the film.
The quote has a major influence on
the film because it is from a well
known person,
Image:
I have used a medium long shot image of the main characters in
the film (similar shot type compared to The November Man
poster). This image helps the target audience understand the
trailer better. They are able to clearly see their facial expressions
and so this helps them identify who is bad and who is innocent.
Title:
I have followed up the convention
of the title of the film that is placed
just below the middle. similarly to
the title in The November Man.
The font and design of the title is
also very different compared to
the posters we analysed. This is
because we wanted to insert an
original idea that will also fit in
within the genre, as the black and
yellow represents the tape that is
put around an area by the police
being investigated.
Cast:
This is a typical convention that is used in all film posters that I
have used in my own poster. I used the idea from the poster
Seven of placing the cast names at the top of the poster and in
white to make it stand out on the black background,
Company details:
I have followed the convention
of adding the company details
on the poster. I used this idea
of layout from The November
Man poster with ‘coming soon’
placed just above it in yellow.
This makes the poster look
more realistic.
Ratings:
The ratings is a good film. This is
evidence for the target audience
that it is a good film,

42. Overall
To conclude, I think I have followed up the conventions needed in my
trailer, magazine and poster to make it seem more realistic and
professional. My research and planning has helped me develop my
production, as me and my group members always referred back to it, in
case we forgot to add some of the important conventions. We clearly
followed it as our guideline in order to make our production a success. If
I had the opportunity to do this again in the future, then I would use
more dramatic sound effects and have even more fast paced and
steady editing. I would also opt for a different genre, such as horror,
which will help me gain more knowledge and develop my understanding
of producing trailers.