Question 1
IN WHAT WAY DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
Movie Trailer:
Using Conventions -
Developing Conventions -
Challenging Conventions -
Inspiration from Existing Products -
Using Conventions -
- In our trailer we adhered to conventions in horror trailers by ending our trailer with a jump scare. This was effective as the tension building up throughout the trailer and the payoff sequence at the end will be more likely to stick in the audience's mind and therefore would make our trailer memorable.
- Another convention we followed was that throughout the trailer the pacing of the editing increased and therefore reflected in the footage shown as the more action-based shots were quickly shown in order to build up a sense of anticipation and enabled us to show a variety of footage which would tease the narrative of our final film.
- We also used another common conventions within our trailer, this is by using several dark filming locations. This was a good convention to abide too by limiting what the audience can see will build up a strong sense of tension because if people can't clearly see what is happening they will begin to feel uneasy.
- Additionally, by shrouding our killer's face throughout the trailer we have followed another effective convention. As by hiding the face of the killer it disconnects them as a character from the audience. This will cause audiences to be scared of the killer as since they have no distinct features it could literally be anyone hunting our victims.
Developing Conventions -
- The first convention we developed on was the killer's actions having an influence on our protagonists. In our trailer it is clear his actions are having a psychological impact on them, such as them constantly worrying and killing themselves to escape him. This is something which isn't very prominent in the average slasher horror film.
- Another convention we developed on was we used red petals floatling behind our titles throughout the trailer, this develops upon conventions as the use of this slowly descending petals is effective as it reflects the tone of the music and links into the theme of it being a horror film as the colour red commonly has eery connotations of danger, blood and violence. All of which are clearly represented throughout our trailer therefore it adds more immersion to the overall viewing of the trailer.
- Another convention we developed upon was creating a trailer that had a non-linear sequence which gave us the opportunity to showcase a variety of shots and sequences throughout our trailer. This was a good convention to develop upon because by creating a linear sequenced trailer, such as The Evil Dead (2013), restricts our capability and makes the overall product look less interesting since we wouldn't have the option to show slower shots followed by a montage of short paced shots which would create a stronger sense of immersion.
Challenging Conventions -
- In our trailer we challenged the convention of having our killer hunt his victims. In the majority of recent horrors the killer tends to focus on eliminating the 'final girl' however in our trailer we have at least three different women making it unclear who is the primary protagonist is.
- Since we have multiple victims within our trailer it meant we didn't have to abide to following the classic horror trope of having an attractive blonde in the lead role. We have challenged this convention by having our characters portrayed by a variety of women of different body shapes, sizes and appearances. This in theory would allow us to appeal to a wider audience as people would be more interested in seeing more 'normal' looking people experience a horror scenario rather than an unrealistically attractive women as they would relate more to the people who look more like them.
- We have chosen to incorporate the idea of dancing throughout our trailer, this defies conventions as besides Black Swan, no horror in recent years have utilised the topics involved in dancing such as psychological impact of being over worked to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. By utilising a theme which isn't found in most horror films we can clearly stand out from other films that would currently be on the market.
Inspiration from Existing Products -
- Black Swan (2010) -
- The Gallows (2015) -
- It Follows (2015) -
- Scream (1996) and Scream: The TV Series (2015) -
Movie Poster :
Using Conventions -
Developing Conventions -
Challenging Conventions -
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Magazine Cover:
Using Conventions -
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