2. In what ways does your mediaproduct use, develop or
challengeforms and conventions of realmedia products? 3. I used,
developed and challenged many conventions whilst in the process
ofplanning and editing my trailer. The first thing I did was find
out whatpsychological thriller films/trailers tend to have. I did
this by analysingSeven, The Butterfly Effect and The Game trailers.
I found that they tendto be quite dark and twisted films and dont
usually have much blood orgore.I also found that a binary
opposition often exists between the criminals and aperson in a
position of power (such as police detectives) who are striving
tosolve the crimes and catch the killer. For example in Seven, both
theprotagonists and antagonists are encoded as being strong
characters andthey work tirelessly in a battle to beat their
opponent (either to stop thecrimes and save future victims, or
outwit the police and continue killing).I used these conventions in
my own trailer by encoding theprotagonists/victim to be a weak
character. To enhance this I decided to usea female child as I felt
that this would increase the feeling of vulnerability.The reason I
decided to use a female victim is that I feel that it makes is
morerealistic as females are seen as weaker than males. This
challenges theconventions identified in the texts I looked at, as
they used adult malevictims. However, I do think my choice is
effective. I chose to use an adult,male antagonist because I felt
that the juxtaposition between these twocharacters would enhance
the feeling of a struggle, conventional of apsychological thriller.
4. I used a kidnapping narrative as I feel like this is a dark,
twisted plot. Myresearch into existing media products showed me
that this is conventional ofthe genre. For example, in Seven the
killer kidnaps some of his victims andremoves them from their
homes. By taking them out of their comfort zonein this way we are
shown that the killer is the powerful character, and thevictim is
weaker.In terms of style, I identified that it is conventional for
psychological thrillersto have low-key or chiaroscuro lighting to
create a more enigmatic feel. Thesettings are often old, grubby
places such as shacks or motel rooms. Theseare used to make the
audience feel uneasy. I used these conventions by usinga dark,
dingy garage. I used low-key lighting to make the scene scarier
andfollowed the conventions in these ways. Conventional
mise-en-scene for thisgenre includes: rope (to tie victims up), an
uncomfortable chair (for thevictims to be tied to) and small of
blood or gore. I used the first two of theseconventions in my
trailer to increase the levels of verisimilitude but found
itdifficult to include blood and gore. However, having reviewed my
trailer iffeel that the thriller effect may have been increased if
I had been able toinclude this in some way. 5. Trailer that I
analysed 6. I used, developed and challenged many different
conventions in the process of analysing andcreating my poster. I
analysied the poster of Seven The Butterfly Effect and The Game.
Ihave done this to see what all these psychological thriller
posters tend to have.The first convention I identified is that they
all tend to use a dark colour pallet. In my poster Iused black on a
black with red writing as I felt that this gave a sense that the
film is dark andtwisted. I used red to connote the thriller element
to my film and because red symbolisesblood, gore and danger. I was
hoping that my audience would decode this and understandthat my
film belonged to the psychological thriller genre.I have also found
that each of the posters used a close up of a face and that the
facialexpressions were usually serious. For example on the poster
for Seven the two detectives arelooking very serious and the
audience can tell that the characters are determined, possibly
tofind and catch the killer. Although the audience does not see the
protagonists face on myposter they can see that she is very
upset/not happy. The audience can see this as theprotagonist has
her face down and her hands are tied up. This is different to the
conventionsof the posters I analysed. I feel that I could have
improved my poster by using a moreconventional image, for example,
having a close up of her hands tied up or of her faceshowing a
serious of frightened facial expression. 7. The conventional font
of a poster is rather simple font TheButterfly Effect is a good
example of this. The reason theytend to have a simple font is
sometimes it give a bettertwisted effect. I have not used a overly
basic font , however isfeel that it still gives a good effect of a
psychological thriller.The poster gives a variety of different
information such as creditblock, title, tagline, and certificate,
however a teaser postermay also have Coming Soon and actors names.
On my posterI have added Credit block, title and tagline as I feel
thatkeeping it basic gives a more dramatic effect. I feel that this
isconventional as it goes with a psychological thriller genre. 8. I
used, developed and challenged many differentconventions in the
process of analysing and creating myown magazine cover. I analysied
Inception (Empire) Thesilence of the lambs (Empire) and The dark
knight (TotalFilm).The first convention that I have noticed is the
rule ofthirds, this is to draw the audience into different parts
ofthe magazine in a certain order. This to see the bannerand image
first, followed by the information that isprovided around about
other films, exclusives etc. I havefollowed this convention by
making sure that my imageand banner was the first thing they see
this is why Icentred them, I did this to draw my audiences
attention. 9. Another convention I found is that the leadingarticle
is usually a big blockbuster movie that hasbeen much anticipated.
This is done to draw theaudiences attention, the way that they do
this is byadding an image usually of a character from thefilm, and
puffs. I followed this convention as I addeda character from my
film and added it in the centreof the magazine cover.The text that
is also on the magazine cover is allstyled (colour, font) based
around the main featurefilm that the magazine has chosen to do. I
feel that Ihave added this convention as all the text is
darkcolours to go with the psychological thriller genre. 10. How
effective is the combinationof your main product and
ancillarytexts? 11. It is important that all three of my products
looked like they promoted thesame film in order to create a brand
identity. For this reason I have used thesame characters on both my
poster and magazine cover. The character clearlyindicates that she
is the protagonist from the film because she is tied up, she
isframed centrally and is the only character in the image. I have
createdcontinuity by using a shot that is also seen in the film as
well as keeping theactor in the same costume. The blue of her
sleeves is striking and this helps theaudience identify the
character on the poster and magazine, as the samecharacter from the
film.I have also kept the same, low-key/chiaroscuro, lighting in
all 3 so that theaudience get the idea that it is going to be a
dark film. I used black on black inmy magazine cover and poster to
give the feel that it is going to be a scary,twisted film. The
image from the poster and magazine goes well with thegarage scene
fro the trailer because each use very low-key lighting. 12. The
fonts on both the magazine cover and poster are thesame in order to
create a logo for the film; The Hostage.Also the style and colour
of the font is the same, as arethe colours (red and white),
representing horror/thrillerfilms as they connote blood/death. I
could have improvedthe feeling on continuity across my main and
ancillarytasks by using the same font for my trailer. The fact that
Ihave used a different fonts goes against the brand identityand the
audience might fail to recognise that the productsare connected.The
tagline You never know whats next! creates enigmacodes (Barthes)
and makes the audience want to go to seethe film to answer the
question and see what happensnext. This tagline appears on my
poster and magazine butnot in my trailer. Here is used a different
tagline. Again,this may also detract from the brand identity.The
idea of kidnapping also creates enigma codes to theaudience as it
makes them wonder what has happenedwhat is going to happen. I have
encoded each productwith the theme of kidnapping by showing the
protagonisttied up and alone. 13. I wanted to show that the film is
going to be a dark and twisted film. The way I have done this isby
having a black background on the poster and having the protagonist
facing down as thoughshe is in trouble. I didnt want to give too
much away on the poster, so just having her tied on achair suggest
trouble but the audience does not know what has happened. This
raises enigmas(Barthes) and encourages the audience to watch the
film to answer them.The trailer leaves questions so the only way of
finding out what happens is by going to watchthe film. The question
I have left is what happens to the girl, and what will the
antagonist do? Ididnt want to show what happens as I feel that the
audience wouldnt want to go and see thefilm. However I do feel that
with the trailer I could have added a few close ups at the ends of
thehostage to make it a little more dramatic.With the magazine that
I produced for my film I gave the message of a dark film as the
magazinecover is black with red writing on the banner. I have done
this to convey the psychologicalthriller genre, I have also used
the same image as my poster to create brand identity. 14. I havent
suggested a certificate on any of three texts,however I feel that I
should have added it on my poster tolet the audience know what age
certificate for the film is.I dont feel that I have made my film
look like ablockbuster because the credit block isnt in the
correctfont and the image could be more professional byperhaps
focussing on the face or the hands tied up.My target audience is
15-25 year olds as I feel this is theage range that people tend to
be to watch psychologicalthrillers. The way that I have
specifically targeted this isby having a young protagonist and an
adult male as theantagonist. 15. The way that my poster and
magazine cover are enticing theaudience to go to watch the film, is
by showing that them it isgoing to be a dark twisted film. The
title The Hostage and thetagline You Never know whats next create
enigma codes(Barthes) for the audience to decode. This is effective
as it meansthat more people will want to go to the cinema to see
the film asthey will want answers and to see what happens.Having
the image as a young female victim tied to a chair also lmakes the
audience wonder if she will be murdered and how shegot there. The
way that the image of the girl tied to the chair ispositioned in
the centre of the poster, means that she faces awayfrom the
audience which indicates that something is wrong, thatshe is
vulnerable and makes the audience go and watch the trailerto see
what it is going to be about. 16. I have also created enigma codes
(Barthes) so that it enticesthe audience to go and watch the film
to get the answers. Thecodes that I have created through my 3 texts
are You neverknow whats next! as the tagline and having One step
couldbe you last in my trailer.Having the tagline you never know
whats next! on both myposter and magazine to create brand identity
and make theaudience go to the cinema to get answers about
whathappens, also having the same image on both texts createbrand
identity and as she is tied up the audience will want toknow what
happens. This works well with my trailer as this isalso seen in the
trailer.The fact that the trailer ends with the dialogue Be quiet
andyou wont get hurt, entices the audience in as it makes
themwonder what is going to happen to the girl and suggests
thethreat of violence. 17. In both the poster and the magazine I
have used the same colour palette. I also used thesame image I did
this because I feel it is a good way to brand my film. I have also
positionedboth images in the centre of the screen as it attracts
the audience in, and used a slighttrace effect to make the image
look more professional.The font on all 3 texts is different. This I
feel is something I should improved and by makingsure all 3 texts
had the same font. I feel that having different fonts creates
confusion withinthe audience about whether they are promoting the
same film. This also detracts from abrand identity.The tagline is
also different on the poster and magazine. The tagline is you never
knowwhats next! but on my poster it is one step could be your last.
This can confuse theaudience and also detract from brand identity
as I am not using continuity through my 3texts. I feel that my
attention to detail is something to work on in the future and if I
had theopportunity to do this task again, I would have paid more
attention to ensuring continuityacross the details of each text.
18. What have you learned from youraudience feedback? 19. I
undertook a poll, questionnaire and I also did a focus group to
collect audience feedback. Thereason that I did this was to get an
understanding of what I needed to do to improve certainpieces of
work (poster magazine and trailer) as well as how successful my
work was at variousstages in the process.With the poll I asked What
do you think of the Storyboard? Do you think my blog suits
thepsychological thriller genre? and What magazine titles is most
effect?. I asked these questionsbecause this would help me see if
my blog and work was suitable for the psychological thrillergenre.
Getting feedback allowed me to see what was good and conventional
for thepsychological thriller genre and what was not, which I could
then fix.The reason I undertook a poll feedback is because a
variety of people can access the internet soI could collect a range
of responses from various audience types. Also, with a poll on my
blogthey can look at the work before they answer whereas if I did a
questionnaire about mymagazine or poster than I would have to print
them off as well the questionnaires. 20. I asked the question What
magazine title is most effective? I askedthis question to see what
the audience think would go best with thepsychological thriller
genre and good for a magazine title.I created a questionnaire for
my trailer this had both open and closedquestions so that I could
get a good idea of what was good, bad andwhat could be improved
from my audiences view. I found out that mytrailer need more
dramatic sounds, better fonts for the writing. Mostalso said that
the felt I could make some effects more dramatic if Islowed them
down. I allowed my participants enough opportunities togive full
details (by asking open questions) as I allowed room for themto
provide me with information on what the thought of my trailer as
awhole and what they thought could have been improved. Also onsome
of the closed questions such as Was the sound effective Iallowed
room at the end to explain why they thought it was or wasntgood.
21. To ensure that I asked a range of people for audiencefeedback I
have created a poll on my blog as anyone that hasa computer and
access the internet can access my blog andgave me their feedback.
This is good as a wide variety ofpeople at different ages will let
me know what they thinkabout my work and will help me see what is
most popular.I have also asked a different range of people (ages
15- 35) totell me what they think of my trailer through
aquestionnaire. This was important on allowing me to seewhat they
liked and did not like about my trailer. I asked abroader audience
to see whether or not they would also goand watch my film.I invited
members of my specific target audience to my focusgroup as I wanted
to receive feedback directly form thepeople the film is aimed. The
focus group contained 7 peopleaged 15-25 of both genders. I feel it
is important to gathertarget audience feedback as well as general
audienceresponse. 22. I learned that my trailer needed more
dramatic movements and quicker shots, dramatic soundeffects, better
titles and with one clip I learned that it confused the audience. I
was aiming tocreate a flashback/memory sequence in the middle of my
trailer but the audience did notdecode this as I had intended and
instead took an oppositional reading (Hall) and becameconfused.
Base dont his feedback I removed this sequence form my trailer.The
way that I learned about improvements to my work is through the
questionnaire I hadcreated. The questions that I have asked were
Did you feel that this trailer fitted thepsychological thriller
genre? What did you feel was good about the trailer? What did
youthink was not effective in this trailer? Was the sound
effective? Were the shots effective?What do you think could be
improved in the trailer?. All these questions helped me get
anunderstanding on what the audience think of my trailer what was
good and the improvementsthat need to be improved.Some of the
responses I got from these questions included : I feel that you
need more dramaticeffects to help create suspense to the audience.
This response allowed me to go back and addmore sound effects to
add more tension and suspense and ultimately make my sequence
moreeffective. 23. I got a variety of responses for Were the shots
effectives? some of myaudience said they felt that I had a good
variety of shots such as when theprotagonist is hitting the glass
especially as it was in slow motions. Howeversome have said that I
could have added a few more close-ups of theprotagonist to make it
more dramatic. I feel that the comments where fairand that I could
have added some more close-ups.Adding close-ups, sound effects,
better font and more effects on clips was theanswers got from What
do you think can be improved in my trailer? Thishelped me
understand what the audience felt needed to be added to makesure
that the trailer represents a psychological thriller.With the poll
I learned that Just Released was the most popular to call
mymagazine. I feel that this was the best choice as it allows to
talk about all thenewest films. I also asked whether my blog links
into the psychological thrillergenre with everyone saying it
does.My audience thought that my trailer thrilling and effective.
They have saidthat the editing was very effective with it in
general being thrilling. 24. These findings helped me get an idea
on what the audience wanted in the trailer.The first thing that I
feel helped me improve my work was the feedback I got for thesound
effects in my trailer. The feedback I got was that I could add more
sound effectsto create more suspense. This helped me as I was able
to add more sound effects sothat it does create more suspense to
the audience. The main sound effect that I usedto create this is a
heart beat as it goes well with the kidnapping and hostage clips.
Thiscreates suspense to the audience and also creates tension.I
also added more dramatic music as I felt it needed more tension and
this is also whatmy audience felt.I had a memory sequence that the
audience did not understand what it was for thisreason I taken the
sequence out so I don not confuse my audience.As the majority of
people liked the title Just Released for magazine cover this is
what Iused. I have done this as this is what the audience feel is
what is the best title. 25. How did you use mediatechnologies in
the constructionand research, planning andevaluation stages? 26.
The technology was very important in the coursework process. The
reason for this is thattechnology is a good way of producing my 3
texts and analysing to help me understand whatconventions need to
go in my 3 texts.I used a variety of different types of technology
throughout the research planning and evaluation.The use of
technology was very important in the coursework process as it
allowed me to producemy work in different programmes and also
allowed me to have all my work on a log where it is alltogether and
easy for people to access and see.I used the internet, Microsoft
PowerPoint and Microsoft Word for the research. YouTube waswhat I
used to analyse psychological thrillers analysing Seven, The
butterfly Effect and The Gameall these told me that I needed low
key lighting , fast cuts and music.The planning I used camcorder,
camera, tripod, Mac, pixlr, and iMovie all these helped me createmy
trailer, poster, and magazine. 27. I had a lot of problems with
technology which set me back. The biggest problem I hadis that my
work wasnt saving which meant I was repeatedly doing the same work
so ittook me 3X longer to do the work which set me a long way back.
I also had problemswith my blog; I had trouble uploading some of my
work (Trailer, Magazine analysis) thisset me back as I had to find
away of loading my work onto the blog and find out why itwas not
uploading.I had problems embedding my trailer from iMovie onto my
blog, the problem was thatmy trailer would not upload onto YouTube
it was taking a long time, once it had donethis I tried to embed it
onto my blog but it took a long time to do. I also had problemwith
the sound effects as I had trouble adding some of the sounds into
my trailer. 28. I learned new skills in iMovie as I hadnt really
used it in myfoundation portfolio before so it was new to me, so I
learnedediting techniques such as; adding sound effects,
changingcontrast and adding effects. I feel know that I would be
able tocreate projects without any problems know that I know
howiMovie works.I have created a blog to engage with my audience,
as itprovided all my work and information about my trailer. On
theblogs I used polls this was to get the audience feedback
oncertain parts of my work (poster, magazine and storyboard),with
the poster and magazine I asked for improvements sowhat they think
I can do to improve them. I also usedslideshare for my trailer
analysis. In this way, technologyhelped me to engage with the
audience and get feedback asmy work was developing. 29. Using a
variety of different technologies helped getting my the audience
interacted in a varietyof different ways (blog, YouTube, slide
share).Creating each piece of my work was created on different
programmes for the research I usedWord and PowerPoint.For the
poster I used fireworks and http://pixlr.com/editor/ . These are
editing tools which weregood to edit my image and then add all the
text. The tools that I used was paint, wand, crop,rotate and add
text. The wand tool allowed me to get rid of certain areas that was
in my imageoriginally. The paint allowed me to get rid of some of
the details surrounding the image that Idid not want and what the
wand tool would not remove. I also had to rotate and crop my
imageto reduces the size of the image. Adding text allowed me to
create my title, tagline, and creditblock, to make it look like a
poster. 30. The magazine I used publisher as I felt this was the
bestprogramme to use to create a magazine . This improved mywork as
it had all the different features that a magazine needsand helped
it look as professional as it could be with the onlyresources I
had. I used shapes to that I could add text to addprice.With the
trailer I used the Mac and used iMovie the reason forthis was that
it was the best technology I had to produce atrailer. I used iMovie
instead of moviemaker as I felt thatmoviemaker was not going to
give the same quality. UsingiMovie allowed me to add sound effects,
change the contrast,add effects to clips, reduce speed on clips and
reduce thevolume on clips. 31. I decided to do a blog as it was a
good way to show my work interactively and it shows I can
usedifferent types of technologies. It also allows me to add polls
and get feedback on my work.I used iMovie to create my trailer as
it was the best editing software I had available. The benefitsof
iMovie is that I could add and remove sound, cut the clips shorter,
change lighting, and addeffects. This was good as it allowed me to
make my trailer look more professional.The benefits of having my
work on a blog as that I can keep all my work together in one
placeand know it wont go missing. Also it allows a range of people
that use the internet to view mywork and give me feedback on it
(what they like and did not like). Also on a blog I can add
pages,polls, the look of the blog to go with the psychological
thriller genre. This all helps as it helpsmake it look more
professional. 32. I used publisher as I feel this is the best
programme tocreate a magazine cover, the reason for this is that
youcan use certain layout and add shapes. I used publisherinstead
of word as on word you cant chose certain layoutto go with what you
want to do.I had considered using moviemaker to make my trailer
sothat I could do work on it at home if I needed but iMoviehas
better editing tools for me to use, this is why i choseit and
instead of working at home I decided to work in myfree lessons. 33.
My Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seBIKkYS09E
