The document discusses the student's process for creating draft posters and a magazine cover for their horror film project. For the posters, they considered conventions related to genre (horror) and form (poster design). Key elements included font style, image placement, and use of color. Compared to the Insidious poster, the student's designs demonstrated some effective conventions but could be improved with additional details or an establishing shot background. The magazine cover also incorporated genre and form conventions, but its long shot image and limited colors made it less conventional than the Insidious example.

1. Self-evaluation

2. Draft Posters
For my first detailed draft poster for my film I decided to
use a black background, as this colour would be
conventional for the horror genre as it would connote
mystery. For the fonts used on my poster I chose to do
them in white as this was conventional within the genre,
and also fit well with the black colour, creating a house
style.
The fonts used are sans serif, which is conventional of
form as the target audience is teenagers to young
adults, so this would be more professional looking. The
fonts are conventional for the genre as from my
audience research I found that they gave a ‘horror
feel’ due to their layout and messy style.
The image would be in the centre, as this is
conventional of form for a poster. The image would be
conventional for the genre as it would be a mid-shot/
close up of the main character in our trailer, which
would be the young girl character named Beth.
The blocking bill at the bottom would be conventional
for form due to where it is placed.

3. Draft Posters
For my second draft poster I decided to use an
establishing shot of the house (the main setting), as
the full background. I wanted this to be out of
focus, and the arm/hand in front of it to be in
focus. In this hand would be a piece of paper, with
the title ‘the note’ written on it in a sans serif font,
such as this one
The colours I used for the fonts were red, to
connote blood/violence. This would be
conventional for the genre.
The names of the cast being listed at the top was
conventional of form and appealing to the
audience to give an insight into the story.
The blocking bill and the release date at the
bottom were in the conventional place, and were
all the same colours as other fonts, which would
create a house style within the poster.

4. Comparison of my detailed poster
and Insidious
The use of a mid shot of the main character as the
central image is also seen in Insidious, but the
background on Insidious would be more conventional
as it gives an insight into the family theme in the story.
The image also uses low key lighting, which would link to
the horror genre.
The sans serif fonts are used on both, as is the use of a
white colour for the fonts. The Insidious poster uses a
wider range of colour, including red, which links to the
horror genre better.
The blocking bill on my poster is the same as on the
Insidious poster, showing the placement to be
conventional for the form.
The sentence at the top is the same for both, showing it
to be conventional for form and to be conventional for
the genre to attract a wider audience.

5. Comparison of my detailed poster
and Insidious
When comparing the two posters, mine has some similarities
to the Insidious poster, which is of the same genre and
theme as my movie, which is possession horror, and some
differences.
The similarities, such as the conventional placement of the
image and the shot type used for the image, blocking bill
and title would mean that my poster could have the
potential to fit into the genre well and would also be
conventional and appealing to the audience. It would also
have the potential to be conventional for the form of a
poster, as I have used the conventional layout.
The differences, such as the plain black background I have
used and the establishing shot background shown on the
Insidious poster could mean that my poster could not be as
conventional and may be too dull and not appeal to the
audience.
To improve my poster I would add an establishing shot
background, either of the main house or of one of the main
rooms in the trailer, such as the bedroom. I would also add
more detail of the movie, such as cast names or a pull
quote/tagline to intrigue the audience.

6. Comparison of my detailed poster
and Insidious
When comparing the two posters, mine has similarities to
the Insidious poster, in the form of an establishing shot
background and the placement of the blocking bill.
These are both conventional of the genre and form, so
would be appealing to the audience and give my
poster the potential to be successful in the genre and
for the form of a poster, due to the conventional layout.
The differences, such as the lack of colour and not
having the main character in the image may mean that
my poster would not be as successful, as it does not give
a good insight into the story and would also look plain.
To improve this poster I would add an image of the main
character near the house, add more colour and also
use a variety of fonts. Out of the two detailed posters, I
feel that the first one would be more successful and
conventional than this one, as it has more similarities to
Insidious and looked more professional

7. Draft Magazine Cover
For my draft of a magazine cover I chose to use a mid
shot/long shot of one of the main characters in the film.
To be conventional to the form and to the genre this
shot would need to be a mid shot/close up, so this may
make it less appealing. I would try to use a background
of one of the rooms in the setting, or of a plain wall to
make the person stand out.
The fonts used are all sans serif, as this is conventional of
the form and would also appeal to the audience due
to their age. The colours I have used for the fonts are
reds, as this connotes violence and blood, which are
both common themes within the genre. Other colours I
could use would be black or white, as these are
conventional for the horror genre.
I have tried to place the logo for the magazine in the
conventional place, and also the barcode. I have tried
to follow the route of the eye to do this.
The cover lines and images of other horror films would
be next to the main image and at the bottom of the
page to try and appeal to the audience.

8. Comparison of my detailed
magazine cover and Insidious
The images on the covers are both central and
take up most of the page. The shot types are
different as the Insidious one is a close up and
mine is a mid shot/long shot, making it less
conventional. The Insidious image has made use
of a prop to highlight the characters face.
The barcodes are both in the same conventional
places, but the logos are different as the Insidious
one spreads across the top of page to make
more of an impact.
The fonts used are sans serif on both and make
use of the red colour to connote violence, but
the Insidious magazine cover has used a wider
variety of colours to link to the horror genre. The
sans serif fonts are conventional for the form.

9. Comparison of my detailed
magazine cover and Insidious
When comparing the two magazine covers, mine has
some similarities, such as the placement of the
barcode, which is conventional of form. The
placement of the cover lines and images of the other
horror movies is similar, which would be conventional
for the form to appeal to the audience.
The differences are the type of shot used for the main
image. This would mean that my image would be less
conventional, due to the shot being a long shot/mid
shot and not a close up. The lack of colour I have used
would make my magazine cover too plain and not
have the potential to be successful as a magazine
cover.
To improve my magazine cover I would use a different
shot type, a wider variety of colours and move the
logo to make it more conventional to the audience
and for the form of a magazine cover