The document discusses the ways in which the media products (a film poster, magazine cover, and trailer) use conventions of existing real media products in the action genre. For each product, the document analyzes conventions found in existing examples that were used, such as a close-up shot of a character's face on the poster with shading, large bold title, and tagline. Feedback was gathered through questionnaires to understand how effective the combination of the main products and ancillary texts were at promoting the film. The feedback showed most people understood the intended genre but some did not, which could be for various reasons like personal taste.

1. 1. in what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
1) Film poster
2) Film magazine front cover
3) Film trailer
Film poster
The film poster that I have created relates well to the action genre as it features many common
conventions that are within other action film posters. I used the search engine google to find
example of similar existing products. This allowed me to identify the common conventions of the
genre. I found that a close up shot of the characters face is common place throughout action film
posters, in particular fight film posters. This is used to connote the characters emotions for example
anger. I also found that lighting around the characters face tended to be dark and often shaded the
side of their face. This is effective as it gives the characters a sense of mystery as you can’t see their
full picture. Furthermore it gives them a sense of danger as they are lurking in the shadows. In most
film posters the movie title is bold and stands out from the rest of the page. I believe this is even
more so in the action genre. In many similar existing products that I have researched I noticed that
the title test seems to almost jump out at you, this is an extremely effective as it grabs the
audience’s attention. To follow this convention I made me made my text metallic and also added a
blue flare to make the text stand out more. The tagline on the top of my film poster is a short
statement which relates well to the action genre as it is to the point and decisive.
Convention of existing action film posters
 Bold title which stands out from the rest of the background
 The Tagline is short and to the point, it is usually located on the top of the poster
 There is often shading around the characters faces indicating a sense of danger.
 The background tends to be dark or black creating a more menacing environment
 The release date is often of a large font size and located in at the bottom of the poster
 The actors names a tend to be located above the film title and have either the same or
similar font type

2. Film magazine front cover
The magazine front cover that I have created follows many common conventions of the genre and
media type. I used the search engine google to research into existing products and find the common
features. I found out that the masthead of the magazine is the largest size text on the page and
takes up around a ¼ of the page. The font type used for the masthead is the same throughout all the
magazines. This is used to reinforce the magazines image/name. Furthermore it may result in people
recognising the name and therefore they may purchase the magazine as it has a sense of history and
credibility. The main image takes up either all or the majority of the page. This is important as it
directly shows the audience what the magazine if focused on, it reinforces the main cover line. The
main cover line tends to be the second largest piece of text on the page, which reinforces its
importance. Furthermore the font type tends to have something different for example a different
font style or a shattering affects this acts to grab the audience’s attention. The cover lines are
generally much smaller than the main cover line and are spread around the main image. This focuses
the audience’s attention of the main cover line which is important as it is the main feature. Most
magazines have to use two main colours in their colour scheme I have chosen to use black and white
as this creates a simple and aesthetically pleasing image.
Tagline: the tagline is short and to
the point which relates well to the
genre furthermore the statement
which is said is strong and assertive
further relating to the genre. The
space between each individual letter
has been spread out.
Title: the title has a metallic
texture which contrasts well
with the background. I also
added a blue flare above the
letter “C” which acts to draw
attention to the text
furthermore; it makes the text
more aesthetically appealing.
The text is typed in Xirod font
which is a bold dominant text
font. All these features act to
draw the audience’s attention
towards the text.
Shading: The shading around the
characters faces is used to create a
sense of mystery about the
characters as you don’t get their full
picture. Furthermore, it also acts to
create a sense of danger.
Metallic background: the
metallic background which is
visible in the top right is used
to reinforce the action genre. It
relates well to the genre as it
quite masculine. It is also used
to resemble a cage like
environment relating to the
film itself.
Image: the photo used was taken in
a portrait which matches the
conventions of other existing
products. This allows my product to
be relatable to the audience.

3. The positioning of the characters within the shot is effective as it shows the characters roles within
the diagesis. The character at a lower at a lower angle appears submissive and venerable whereas,
the character at a higher angle appears stronger and more dominant. This indicates to the audience
the characters roles within the plot. This also relates to Levi Strauss’s (1958) binary opposites theory
as the ‘Hero’ and ‘Villain’ are clearly distinguishable.
Conventions of existing action film magazine front covers
 The magazine masthead is clearly visible at the top of the page and it also tends to be in a
different front from the rest of the page. It has a large font size and often around a ¼ of the
page.
 There is always one dominant picture which takes up the majority of the page however
 House colours are used extensively for example black and green, yellow and white etc.
 The main cover line stands out clearly from the rest of the page it is always larger in size and
is often in a different font type
 The cover lines are positioned around the main image and tend to be in a small font size
 The barcode is usually positioned in either the bottom left or right corner

4. Film trailer
The film trailer that I have created features many common conventions of other existing products. I
used the well-known video streaming site YouTube to research other existing film trailers. I found
several examples that related to the idea that I had in mind such as blood and bone, district 13 and
unleashed. I found the trailer for the film unleashed to be particularly useful as it also related to my
films storyline. I discovered that action film trailers consist of fast paced edits, which acts to grab the
audience’s attention and gives an exhilarating experience. I also found that during the end of the
trailer there is a build up to a climatic ending or a cliff hanger to keep the audiences wanting to know
what is going to happen. The dialogue within the trailers of this genre is short and to the point. This
is effective as it imprints a message to the audience for example in the trailer of unleashed we hear
the main antagonist shout “kill him” this is dominant and assertive message which grabs the
audience’s attention. Voice over narration is used extensively within this genre as it helps inform the
audience on what is going on. Inter titles are used throughout the film trailers and often consist of
short statement which reinforce the plot and ideas associated with the film. On screen graphics are
commonly used within trailers of this genre in particular 3D text. This is effective as the text is
actually within the footage rather than being overlaid. This creates a greater impression on the
audience.
Masthead: I have positioned the
masthead in the top centre of the
page which matches the
convention of existing products. I
also greatly increased the font size
to ensure it filled up good
percentage of the page. The font
type that I used was called
“Hunger games” which is a fairly
unique font type. Furthermore it is
easily recognisable as it is quite
bold. The text can also be related
to the film hunger games further
reinforcing the action stereotype.
Image: I have only used one
image in the front cover as I
believe it will fully focus the
audience’s attention on the
main cover line. The image
itself takes up around ¾ of
the page which reinforces
its importance.
Cover lines: I have positioned the
cover lines around the main image
to keep the attention focused on
the main cover line. Furthermore,
it creates a more well organised
and structured appearance. The
cover line text becomes
progressively smaller with each
sentence this is a common feature
within most magazines.
Background: I chose to use
a metallic texture as the
background as this relates
well to the action genre in
particular the fighting
aspect of the genre. The
metallic texture connotes
masculinity and danger. The
metallic texture also relates
to the title of the film
CAGED.
Barcode: The barcode is featured on
the front cover of almost every
magazine. Therefore, this is an
essential convention to have on my
magazine as it makes it more
relatable to existing products.

5. I used YouTube to upload both my drafts and final trailer. This was beneficial as it allowed me to
show my progress to my teachers and peers. However, in promoting my product YouTube is
extremely beneficial, as it allows me to freely share my product with a large audience. The people
viewing my product will be more open to it as they are viewing through their own choice.
Furthermore, if they like it they may link the video to friends and family resulting in greater spread of
my product. This relates to Lazarsfeld’s (1940) two step flow theory as people are more influenced
by people they know and opinion leaders.
Another theorist that applies to my film trailer is Todorov’s (1969) narrative theory. Todorov’s
theory states that there are 5 stages of a story. Which I believe partly applies to my plot. At the
beginning of the trailer Katayo is the dominant character as he says “I own you” this shows a state of
equilibrium. Towards the end of the trailer we see Katayo and his men chasing Zekrim, this shows an
attempt to repair the damage. At the end of the trailer we see Katayo punch Zekrim this shows a
return of equilibrium.
Vladimir Props character theory is also applicable to my plot. Props theory suggests that there are 8
different types of characters within a story. I believe that some of his character types relate to the
characters within my film trailer. The Hero is Zekrim as he is fighting evil in some way. The Villain is
Katayo as he is fighting the Hero and preventing him from succeeding. The character Lucas fills 2
roles as both the helper and donor as he assists the hero in accomplishing his goal. And finally the
princess or prize is Zekrim’s freedom as this is his reason for in barking on this challenge. The use of
this theory has been beneficial as it has allowed me to build the narrative structure of my film trailer.
Conventions of existing action film trailers
 The duration is under 3 minutes
 The lighting is dark and gloomy reinforcing the sense of danger and mystery
 Fast paced edits usually between 1-2 seconds
 Flash, fade and cut-off transitions are primarily used
 Many different shots are used from various angles
 Each shot has a lot of action within it and relates to a key point within the films plot
 Stock phrases used throughout such as “coming soon”
 The dialogue is short and assertive for example “Kill him”
 The music is often fast paced and relates to the epic genre
 Sound effects are used throughout in particular in scenes were fighting or action is carried
out
Film trailer

6. The trailer opens with the main antagonist “Katayo” saying “I own you” this is extremely effective as
it is a strong assertive statement and therefore grabs the audience’s attention, Furthermore it gives
the audience and idea of what the film is about.
Including the main producer at the beginning of the trailer is a common convention throughout film
trailers. I therefore decided to incorporate this feature within my trailer to keep it conventional and
therefore relatable to the audience. I used the metallic background within all of my inter titles to
keep continuity and a matching image throughout.
The title of the film is shown 24 seconds into the trailer. This is useful as the clips before this build up
an idea in the audiences head about the plot and also whether or not it appeals to them. The title
allows people to remember the film as they may want to watch it later or once it is released.
Furthermore, the font type is the same as my ancillary texts which creates a house style and
therefore a relatable image. When the title appears I added a locking sound effect this is effective as
it relates to the title for example they are locked in.

7. This clip depicts a character about to be shot in the head. However I decided to black out the screen
when the gunshot is heard. I believe this is effective as the audience do not know whether the
character has actually been shot, instead they make their own assumptions of what happened. This
allows the audience to have their own subjective view and therefore becoming a more active
audience.
During the ending of the trailer I have added 3 inter titles, the first of which is above. The use of this
common convention is very effective as it implies ideas about the plot and also characteristics of the
characters. For example the above inter title suggests that the character is violent, not sociable and
has had a hard life. The text has also been narrated in a deep voice which is a common convention
other relating trailers. As the narrator speaks the words are appear, this is effective as it helps
imprint the message into the audiences mind. The text also increases in size with the beat of the
song. This is effective as the text seems to jump at the audience and therefore reinforces its
importance.
During this scene I have added a sound effect that is common within many action movie trailers. The
fog horn sound effect is used extensively in film trailers. Its use reinforces the importance of a
moment for example a death or a key point in the plot. In my trailer I have used this before the
deaths of “Zekrim’s” enemies. In addition, I used a black and white effect just before the knife
enters the victim as this connotes death.

8. The final inter title uses the common stock phrase “Coming soon” this is effective as it allows the
audience to relate the trailer to other existing example and therefore may be more likely to watch it.
The release date below informs the audience on when the film will be available at cinemas. This acts
as both informative and also builds up hype. The website link and face book links allows people to
stay tuned with recent information regarding the movie and therefore keep active. The institutions
at the bottom left and right allow the audience to see who were involved in the making of the film.
This is beneficial as these names have a lot of credibility and history associated with them making
people more likely to watch.
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary text.
The two ancillary texts that I have created along with my main product work well together to create
a realistic image that audiences may associate with existing products. The action genre conventions
that are present within my media products reflect those of other relating products. The two
products that I created in conjunction with my film trailer are a film poster and magazine front
cover. The title of the film “CAGED” is typed in the same text “Xirod” within all of my media
products. This is effective as it keeps continuity throughout the products and also acts to create an
iconic symbol which can be related immediately to my product. The same two characters are used
on both ancillary texts. This is effective as it reinforces the roles of the characters within the diagesis.
Furthermore, it also indicates to the audience who’s playing who and also what their role is within
the plot. I have noticed this convention being used within many relating products that I have
researched.
The background of all 3 of my media products is the same metallic texture. This is effective as it
creates continuity between the products and also acts to create a relatable image that the audience
can use to relate all 3 of my products with one another. The clothing that is worn in all 3 products
relates to the present day style furthermore, the setting is in an urban environment which relates to
my target audience. This applies to Bulmer and Katz (1974) uses and gratification theory as people
are using my products to gratify their need for surveillance and personal identity. The purpose of all
3 of my products is to promote my film and I believe they have done this to good effect.
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
The target audience for product is males between the ages of 15 and 30 as I believe the genre of my
film appeals to this group more so than others. I also found information to support this through
researching other existing products and finding out who they aim their products at.
To gain audience feedback I created a series of questionnaires for each of both ancillary texts and
film trailer. The questions were simple as the subject just simply ticked the box they thought was
most fitting. I also created another questionnaire for the more in-depth questions as I was aware
that some people may not have the time to answer in detail. I created bar charts of the more
important questions to show the in a clearer format.
Film poster

9. From these results I gathered that most people understood the genre that I was trying to represent
however a few individuals did not. This could be due to a number of factors for example as people
have their own subjective view so therefore interpret thing in their own way. However I believe that
some of the features that I added to the poster may have given the wrong representation. The blue
flare above the letter “C” may have lead people to believe that the poster is representing the sci-fi
genre as this is a common convention within the genre. Furthermore, the fact that one of the
characters is looking over the shoulder of the other could be misrepresented with the horror genre.
From these results I concluded that the metallic text was the most effective feature of the page. I
would agree with these results as the text is both aesthetically pleasing and also acts to connote the
action genre. The shadowing around the faces was the second most effective. I asked one of the
participants why they thought this was the most effective. They told me it gave the characters a
sense of mystery and made them intrigued and wanting to watch the film. However the image was
the least effective. I believe this was a result due to the lighting of the shot. Adding a colour
correction would benefit the image by giving it a more conventional appearance.
Film magazine front cover
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Drama Action Sci-Fi Horror
After looking at my poster which genre
do you think it represents?
Series 1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Metalic text Shading
around the
characters
faces
Image Tagline
What feature of the poster did you find
most effective?
Series 1

10. From the results on the bar chart I believe that my cover lines were effective as 80% of participant
believed that they worked well. However, 2 individuals thought that the cover lines were okay which
are still positive results but, not the best outcome that could have been achieved. I am greatly
pleased with these results as it shows they were effective in my product.
As we can see from the chart above the target age group of my product is clear to the audience as
100% of participants got the age group right. This shows that my planning and research was
beneficial as it created a product which was easily relatable to the target audience.
Film trailer
0
2
4
6
8
10
They work
well
They do
not work
well
They
overpower
the main
cover line
They are
okay
Do the cover lines work well
together or do they take away
attention from the main cover line?
Series 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
0-15 15-30 30-45 45+
Which age group do you think the
magazine is aimed at?
Column1
0
2
4
6
8
Cut-off Fade Flash Cross- fade
Which editing transition did you
find most effective?
Series 1

11. As expected the flash transitions were seen as the most effective as they are common place within
the action genre as they keep up a fast paced and exhilarating atmosphere. However, I used the
flash transition in a more tranquil part of my trailer along with the cross fade. This goes against
conventions however, from the evidence above it seems to be effective. The cut-off transition is
second this is also expected as it keeps the edit dramatic. This is effective to the audience as it
reinforces the action genre.
The chart indicates that 50% of the participants felt the lighting was effective however, 30% did not.
This could be due to the fact the lighting was quite dark I intended this to connote a sense of
mystery and criminality as it is difficult to gather the full picture. However, some people may have
misrepresented this with the horror genre as this is a common feature within that genre. This may
have led them to seeing the dark lighting as in effective for my genre. This is down to the audiences
subjective view point and therefore I do not have control over it however 70% of people felt it was
effective in some way and therefore it is partly successful.
Teacher’s feedback
Benefits of the feedback
The feedback has allowed me to determine whether or not my products were successful as media
products. From the information that has been gathered I believe that my products were successful
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Yes it did Somewhat Not at all
Did the lighting of the trailer match
the genre of the film?
Series 1

12. as the audience easily related them to existing products. Most people understood the messages I
was trying to portray and chose the answer that I wanted. However the ones who didn’t allowed me
to look back on my work and reassess what needs improving. Overall I believe that I received mostly
positive feedback which leads me to believe my products were successful.
4. How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation
stages?
Throughout all of my coursework I have used technologies in creation, communication and editing
and evaluation of my work. All the work that I have done both draft and complete has been posted
on the well-known blogging site blogger. I have posted work from initial research to final evaluation.
This site has been very beneficial as it has allowed both my teachers and I to keep track of my
progress. Furthermore, it allows the public and more specifically other students to view my work.
Research and planning
I used the well-known streaming site YouTube to research other existing products. I found many
examples which related to my product. This was beneficial as it gave me a wide range of examples to
work from and also to pick conventions that I found most effective. The three main trailers that I
found to be most effective were District 13, Blood and Bone and Unleashed. The use of YouTube
allowed me to print screen shots that I found particularly effective. I then analysed the shots to
create a textual analysis. I did this for all three of the examples above. The benefit creating this in-
depth analysis is that it allowed me to gain a greater knowledge of how to create an effective trailer.
I used the search engine Google to research other existing products relating to my ancillary texts. I
found existing example and picked out the convention that I deemed most fitting and effective for
my product. I also used Wikipedia to research into the history of film trailers. In the planning of my
product I used Microsoft office extensively as it was readily available, easy to use and also reliable. In
particular I found Microsoft word to be most effective as it allowed me to easily transfer text directly
to blogger. I used the site Prezi to create online presentations of my work as it made my work more
presentable and organised. Finally I used the site slide share to present my evaluation in a more
accessible format.
Production
To capture the images needed for both my ancillary texts I used a 10.2 megapixel Samsung camera.
The main reason for me using this camera was that it was always available for me to use and also it a
allowed for great mobility which is important in the particular genre I was filming. The downside
however is the image quality isn’t great as there is only 10.2 mega pixels to work with. However, I
believe the camera performed well in this task as it produced images that had sufficient lighting and
clarity. Professional movie producers use top-end video equipment to record their footage however
this is extremely expensive.
To capture the footage for my film trailer I used the same 10.2 megapixel Samsung camera. I found
that the camera did not perform as well when recording moving images as it did with still images. I
found that the footage was at times blurry. This resulted in me having to retake some footage. I also
found that preventing shaky cam was difficult as the camera was fairly small and light meaning that
it was hard to keep stable. To counter act this I could have used a tripod to fix the camera into

13. position resulting in less shakiness. On the other hand, there were some benefits of using this
camera. The footage that was recorded was darker and gloomier then what was actually seen. This is
beneficial as it matches the conventions of the genre as the action genre in particular fight genre is
known to have quite dark and gloomy lighting. Furthermore the mobility of the camera allows me to
keep up with the actor’s movement which in a fight films are fast and therefore hard to track.
Post-production
The graphics editing programme Adobe Photoshop cs6 was used to edit both my ancillary texts. I
found this software to be very effective as is had a wide range of tools to choose from allowing me
to create and effective product. The range of tools also allowed me to experiment with different
techniques and through the process of trial and error I was able to find the ones best effective for
my product. I also used Photoshop during the production of my Foundation Portfolio coursework.
This was beneficial as it gave me background knowledge on the software and also a few basic skills.
However, to produce my ancillary texts I needed to learn more advanced techniques. YouTube was
beneficial for this as it allowed me to search for editing technique tutorials. For example how to add
textures onto texts, as seen on the title of my film poster and how to add shadow to the sides of the
characters face also seen within the film poster.
During the editing process I used a variety of adobe Photoshop’s features:
 Importing JPEG images
 Adding textures to text
 Resizing image to scale
 Lasso tool to crop images
 increasing the opacity of images to blend them into the background
Film Poster and Film magazine front cover
As you can see here I used a
wide range of effects on my
title. The Pattern overlay
allowed me to add the
metallic texture to the text.
Whereas both the outer glow
and drop shadow helped the
texts stand out from the rest
of the page. I used the Xirod
font type to create a house
style

14. Film trailer
The video editing software Sony Vegas Pro 11 was used to edit the film trailer. I have prior
experience with this software as I have been using it for around 2 years to edit gaming related
videos. This is beneficial as I was fairly experienced with the software and its tools allowing me to get
strait into editing rather than having to learn the basics. When I imported the footage I noticed that
there were black bars around the video. This was because my camera did not record in 1280x720
which is the standard YouTube resolution. To fix this problem I right clicked on the clip and went to
properties I then unchecked maintain aspect ratio which automatically fit the footage to the
1280x720 resolution. I also found that the clips were slightly blurry once imported into Vegas. To
increase clarity I returned to the clips properties and unchecked disable resample. The reason I
chose this software over others such as after effects cs6 or final cut pro is because I have prior
experience with the software and also because I find the layout to be clear and easily accessible.
During the editing process I used a variety of Sony Vegas’s features:
 Importing AVI videos
 Importing mp3 music and sound effects
 Creating Inter title texts
 Transitions: fade, flash and cut off
 Editing the length of the clips
I added the drop shadow effect
to all the text within the page as
it helped them stand out from
the background. I also reduced
the font size with every line of
text which is a common
convention within magazines. I
used the font type Xirod to
create house style.
I softened the edge of the image by first
clicking the brush icon and then reducing its
hardness to 0%. I then reduced the opacity
to 20%. I then brushed around the edge of
the image.
I created the shadow effect on the
image by first clicking the brush icon
and then reducing its hardness to 0%. I
then reduced the opacity to 20% and
chose a black foreground.

15.  Pan and cropping the footage
 Editing the speed of the clips using velocity
 Adding effects such as flash and bump map
To reduce blurriness and remove
the black bars from the clips I did
the following. Right clicked the clip,
clicked properties. I then checked
disable resample and unchecked
maintain aspect ratio.
The entire editing process
took place within the time
line below. Using layers
allowed me to add and alter
both sound and video
separately. Key framing
allowed me to animate the
effects that I had added to
the clips.
I used (Legacy)
text to create the
inter titles that are
present within the
trailer
I used the orange marker
to mark key point within
both the clips and songs.
This allowed me to sync
both the clips and sound.
The audio track has a
volume slider which
allows me to either
increase or decrease
the intensity of the
sound (decibels)
The transitions that I
have added can be
found between the
clips. I changed the
length of the
transitions by either
dragging them further
backwards to increase
length and further
forwards to reduce.
I used the Track FX to add
an effect to entire layer
and therefore affecting all
the clips within the layer.
This was effective when I
added the Bump
map/spotlight -up effect as
I wanted this to affect all
the clips.
The Pan and Crop
option was used
primarily in syncing as
it allowed me to move
video/text to the beat
of the song. I did this
through the use of key
framing.

16. Conclusion
From the evaluation of both my ancillary texts and main product, I believe that my products both
use and develop features and conventions from real media products. I gathered these conventions
through extensive research and planning through the use of new technologies. The use of
professional editing software’s and techniques helped me create effective products which related to
existing examples. The use of audience feedback allowed me to determine whether or not my
products were successful and also whether improvements were needed. I believe the 3 products I
have created work well together to create an effective and realistic combined image. The purpose of
my 3 products was to promote an upcoming film, and I believe they have done this to good effect.