The document discusses how a student film trailer conforms to and challenges conventions of real media. The trailer follows conventions such as including the production company logo, using intertitles, placing the film title and billing block at the end. It challenges stereotypes by having a male character with mental health issues and female bullies, though ultimately reinforces conventions through their fate. Overall, the trailer aims to resemble real ones through its use of codes and conventions while also bringing awareness to challenged issues.

1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Trailer

2. The start of a film trailer usually shows the production company logo. This is so that the audience can
recognise the logo and so that they trust it when watching films. This is conventional and for our film trailer
we did the same, this gave it a professional look and ensured that from the start of the trailer we were
conforming to codes and conventions of real media products.
This is our film trailer
production company
This is the Donnie Darko company.

3. INTERTITLES
Throughout the trailer we used intertitles as this is conventional where the intertitles
allow the audience to receive further information about the narrative of the trailer. We
used white text in order for them to stand out on the black background which is quite
conventional in a film trailer. I think that the intertitles for our trailer look professional
and work well with the trailer.

4. FILM TITLE
I believe that our film trailer is conventional, it is eye catching and it also portrays the trailer well due to
“deluded” connotating with Morgan the main character within the trailer due to the definition of “deluded”
being to make someone believe in something that is not true this links in with our narrative of the story
where Morgan is believing the imaginary friend is real when really it is an illusion. We also decided that we
wanted to highlight the word “elude” within the word “deluded” this is because the meaning of “elude” is to
try escape/avoid something which is what Morgan is trying to do with the imaginary friend. I believe it is
eye-catching and it follows the codes and conventions of real media products. We placed the film title at
the end of the trailer due to this being the convention, it also means that the audience are able to
remember what the film is called after they have watched the trailer.

5. BILLING BLOCK
The billing block consists of the films directors, actors, producers and the other crew members, it is
placed at the end of the trailer after the film title. It gives credit to the members who took part in
the trailer which is conventional and we also placed this after the film title. I believe that our billing
block represents a real media billing block and therefore looks professional.

6. THEMES &COSTUME
Within the trailer we have the main theme of illusion vs reality with Morgan and the imaginary friend. We also have
the theme of mental health which is a catalyst reason to why Morgan reacts and does what the imaginary friend tells
him to do. The imaginary friend to Morgan is a form of comfort due to him being so lonely and the imaginary friend
being the only one who is there for him. Another main theme of our trailer is the revenge narrative where Morgan
seeks revenge on those who have done him wrong where he seeks revenge and kills the bullies.
The costumes used within our trailer are important due to the character representation that is essential in a trailer. In
the trailer Morgan wears casual clothes due to him representing a teenage school boy who is in sixth form. We also
ensure that the psychiatrist was dressed in appropriate clothing due to the professionalism that we needed to
portray in the trailer. The imaginary friend has the most significant costume due to him wearing dark clothing with a
white doll like mask which is ironic due to the colour white connoting with innocence but the imaginary friend brings
darkness and destruction.

7. HOW OUR TRAILER CHALLENGED
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS
In our trailer the main character who suffers with mental health is a male. This challenges the
stereotype of women being the people who have mental health issues. We decided that we wanted
our main character to be male to show awareness that it is not only females who suffer with mental
health issues. Within our trailer we also have female bullies which breaks the usual form of males
being bullies in films. We chose to do this because it shows how there should not be such a
stereotype for males and females and that both genders are capable of anything. Although in the
end the female bullies are the victims due to the one being followed and then both killed, which
conforms to the conventions of real media texts.

8. CONCLUSION
Overall, I think that our film trailer does resemble a real trailer due to us
following the codes and conventions throughout where we have added all
the key aspects which makes a film trailer such as the production
company, the intertitles, the film title, release date, billing block.
Throughout the trailer we have conformed to the codes and conventions
where we have added a non-diegetic soundtrack and transitions between
the shots to ensure that the trailer flows. We have left the audience with
intellectual pleasures and we have given the audience emotional pleasures
when watching our trailer due to the mental health issues in which is
portrayed in our trailer.