QUESTION 1

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP

OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA
PRODUCTS?

My trailer

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock)

Shivers (David Cronenberg)

The idea of water, bathrooms and plug holes have been a common
theme in many horror films. For example the bathtub scene in shivers
by David Cronenberg and of course the famous shower scene in
Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. In the both of these films we see close
ups of the plug hole, in particular in psycho we see a slow zoom of the
blood and water washing away down the plug hole, this is something I
tried to recreate with my character washing the blood down the sink
which also includes a slow zoom and the over powering noise of the
water. I increased the volume on the sound of the water to make it
stand out more, and make it more thundering, as if everything is
being washed away.

An over the shoulder shot allows the audience to feel part of what is going on. I have
created the lighting in this shot to look light, but with a dim/ darker frame foreboding
what will or may happen in the film. I have also made sure that as an audience we
can only see and read part of what she is pulling out of the envelope. This builds
tension as all the audience can read is I SAW meaning we do not know yet what
has happened. The mise-en-scene is cluttered, suggesting the character is often out
or has other priorities other than cleaning. On the wall the use of lighting as also
allowed for various shadows, again foreboding what is to come. In this scene, tension
is also built through the use of sound which is becoming more and more dramatic as
the trailer continues.

Here I used a close up of her feet as she walks out of the bathroom and down
the stairs. Again the lighting is bright enough to see her, but also allows for a
dark frame around the outside foreboding what is too come. Although the
camera does pan round to watch her walk down the stairs it does not follow
her. The idea of being low and not being able to see her fully or her face also
has a horrible connotation of being spied on, as the angle is unusual, as if not
wanting to be seen. We also see the character very at home, as she walks
along bare foot, suggesting she feels relaxed, again linking to the idea of the
calm before the storm that Roland Barthes suggested in his theory when he
stated that certain images and clips build tension and forebode what is too
come. This scene gives a feel of being watched and stalked, which we later
find out to be true.

Screen shots
from my own
trailer that
show phones
being the main
focus.

Phones are again another common theme in many horror

films, as they add the idea of not knowing whos on the end of
it which can create fear and mystery. This is because people
have become so reliant on them, it can cause panic and fear
when they realise they are not working. Phones also allow
people to become anonymous as no one can see the person
on the other end. Here is a close up side shot which clearly
highlights the phone as the main point of focus in the frame to
suggest its importance. I first saw this in the Scream four
trailer where we the phone be the main focus throughout, with
consistent phone calls from the unknown.

Scream 4 trailer has

consistent unknown calls,
creating fear among
characters.

In Halloween (1978) we see Lynda being on

the phone just before being murdered and
while being murdered.

Screams are used in almost all horror films, allowing them to now become a common
convention. I therefore choose to use a scream at the end of my trailer to leave the
audience wondering what exactly happens next and why she is screaming. I looked at
various other famous screams for example I looked at The Shining, where we see Shelley
Duvall scream and scream as he begins to chop down the door. I also looked at the scream
in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers where although the scream is not loud, the camera
gets closer and closer to his mouth, really showing the emotion on the mans face. This
inspired me to create a close up scream where the main character screams as she turns
round to look at the camera. I used a torch to shine on her face as she does this, creating an
even more extreme contrast between the bright lights and the dark night background. The
light also highlights her face more allowing the audience to fully see the emotion on her
face.

This clip of a behind shot of my lead character walking down the road into nothing
represents her dark future and keeps the audience guessing to the type of person
she is. There is no one else around the road, suggesting that if something
happened, no one would know which adds a sense of danger to a fairly innocent
shot. The dark clothes that she is wearing creates connotations of not wanting to
be seen. A following shot also seems to create a feeling of being there with the
character, this was first shown to me in the Black Swan trailer where we follow
the character closely through the streets. This was also filmed with a hand held
camera to create an even more intimate feeling of being with her as she walks, so
again I replicated this in my own trailer. The idea of someone staring/walking into
the distance also creates the idea of thought, which is shown in the film

By including scenes which show the main character to just be doing everyday
things it allows the audience to get to know her and feel that she is just a
normal person. The audience however is positioned at a slightly high angle to
allow them to have dominance over the scene and over the main character.
This will make the following scenes even more tense and dramatic as it will
also mean the audience will begin to relax right before the scenes get more
tense making it more effective. This is also accompanied by a gentle music
build up. Similar scenes are shown in The Panic Room where we see her
calm before all the action starts, similar to The Cabin in the Woods where
the group of friends are all happy before they lead themselves into danger.

I chose to include an award in my trailer as I had seen this been down

in many other trailers that I looked at. I also had decided to follow the
idea of the two-step theory which suggests that opinion leaders
such as critics, awards, social media and commentators can help
shape trends and suggest popularity. The public can then become an
opinion follower. So by including an award, it will turn most of the
public into opinion followers so will therefore go to see film. It also
adds credibility to my trailer. The trailer Ted also does a similar thing
when they mention from the creator of FAMILY GUY this is also to add
credibility and suggest to the audience that it will be just as much a
success as family guy was.

A dark black background links

with the genre of the film as
black can suggest mystery and
death. The model I choose to
use is also very pale, this will
create even more contrast,The clapper board
making her stand out.
immediately highlights

Tag line in highlighted in box. This will

make it stand out and grab the readers
attention first. The red/ brown colour of
the box also links with the idea of blood
and death, linking to the horror genre.
Magazine release
date.

that it most likely a film

magazine. A very visual
connotation to the
reader.

Chatty, colloquial language

links with the target audience
of young teens/young adults
as it sounds like something
they may say to each other.
This cover line is also placed
at the top on purpose as
because it is a rhetorical
question it will immediately
get the reader thinking, and
therefore more likely to read
on.

I have positioned Lucy in the centre

third of the page as I felt this would
create most impact as it would suggest
to the audience that she is the most
important. Cover lines are positioned
in the left third of the page.
Direct mode of address
will grab the readers
attention, convincing
them to read as opposed
to if she was looking
away.

Critics reviews were something that my

audience found important when deciding
what films to watch. This is why I included a
cover line on it to again encourage people to
want to read the magazine.

Price chose
based on my
target audience
as they stated
they wouldnt
pay more than
2.99 for a
magazine.

Barcode placed
small in the left
hand corner to not
draw attention
away from the rest
of the magazine.

Highlights the film. A glow around

the title not only links with the
trailer and film poster but also
creates an idea of mystery. The
colour of the serif font also links
with connotations of blood, death
and passion, suggesting what the
film will be about.
By writing director of the Saw films
it will add credibility to her new film,
as people will link it with being as
popular as other film.

This rhetorical question links to what will continue further

inside. The use of a rhetorical question allows the audience
to question what the interview will be about, making them
more interested to read on.

I have positioned the camera from

behind the main character as if she
is walking off into the distance. The
distance looks dark, suggesting
what her future is like and what is
likely to happen later in the film. It
also shows an unexpected side to
her character as I went again
conventions by creating a female
murderer. This posted shows that
she may be different to others due
to her walking alone at night into
darkness and not away from it.

The background and frame of the

image is dark and black, again linking
with her future and the idea of death.

The tree has been warped on this image to

add an idea of distortion. This distortion of
the image is however still very subtle so
the audience may not consciously notice it.
By distorting the image and curving the
tree in, it again draws the eye to the middle
of the page.
A quote from the Daily Telegraph is
included in a different font just below
the title. I choose a different font as I
wanted to clearly indicate that this is a
different piece of text, not linked with
what will happen in the film itself. I
chose to include a quote as it again
gives the film credibility, but also links
with what I have seen on other popular
film posters for example The Cabin in
the Woods film poster. My audience
feedback also suggested that although
they like simple, non-cluttered poster
they did like quotes from credible
sources.

I choose the lettering for the title

of the film carefully, I decided to
use serif font as I felt this gave a
more gothic feel linking to the
horror genre. The white glow
around the writing adds mystery,
and how connotations of ghosts, it
also helps the writing to stand out
against the rest of the background.
The light is centred to the middle
of the page, again clearly
suggesting that she is walking
away from it. The light in the
middle of the poster also helps to
focus the eye on title of the film
and not the main character. The
use of natural lighting also create
a more eerie feel.

The age certificate and credits

must be included on a film
poster.

I included the production company as it created links with

the magazine cover and the trailer. I also felt that it meant
that people who had heard of this company would know
they produced the Saw films, so therefore suggesting that
this film may be just as popular.

Other than the title of the film I

chose to have the date the film
was being released in the largest
writing. This is because I feel this
is one of the most important things
on the poster as it needs to be
clear to the audience when they
can go and see the film. This is
also why I chose italics and gave it
a line to itself.
I included an award from a film
festival to suggest to the audience
that this film will be popular and
that it is worth their time to watch
it. It adds credibility to the film.