My Final Trailer

My Final Front Cover Magazine

This is my final front cover for my horror magazine. I think the colour scheme fits in with the genre of horror and as do the fonts. I also kept a strong brand synergy within my front cover by having the name of the trailer in the same font that I used in my trailer and film poster.

My Final Movie Poster

This is my final poster for my movie 'When A Killer Calls'. The colour scheme fits in well with the horror genre and it features both of my protagonists. The poster is also set in one of the locations that I filmed in, therefore tying the two products together. 

Evaluation: Question 1 - In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Script for Question 1

Trailer-

One example of how I followed the conventions of real media texts is when I used the fades to black and the quick paced shots to show the disruption of the equilibrium. This builds suspense and makes the scene more dramatic. The same technique is used in the Ouija trailer, again building suspense when the alone, innocent girl is targeted.

Another example is how I ended my first scene with a cut to my production company logo, followed by dialogue to anchor the narrative. This is also done in the Ouija trailer, breaking up the scenes and anchoring the narrative allowing the viewer to follow the trailer easily.

Another convention that I used was breaking up the action with captions. I did this to build suspense and tension within my trailer. Again, the same technique is used in the Ouija trailer. The captions also give the viewer more of an insight into the narrative of the film and whilst they also build tension they help the audience understand what it going on and what the film as a whole might capture. In addition to this, both the Ouija trailer and my trailer include a release time in our captions by having one say “THIS HALLOWEEN” in order to let the viewer know when the whole film will be released and to convey the horror genre more.

Another way that I used real media texts to follow conventions is by using high-pitched screams. I did this nearer the beginning of my trailer however, in the Ouija trailer they used it throughout. I decided to challenge this convention slightly because I didn’t want to over use the technique. I did use it again in my trailer in the middle; however, I lowered the volume of the clip so that it wouldn’t be over powering, plus I had some narration over the same clip and therefore I didn’t want to distract the viewer too much.

I also followed convention when I used an isolated setting for my trailer. Although it is not the only setting I used, I would say that it is the primary setting in my trailer. This technique is used in the Hush trailer and in the Truth or Die trailer. I used this technique because it gives the audience a strong sense of danger and fear.

Another example of how I followed conventions of a horror trailer is by having a sinister like piece of dialogue right at the end before the credits come on. I did this by cutting the music off so that it was just the voice over on it’s own. This created an eerie atmosphere and because my killer is anonymous by having the voice over sound like the killer is talking on a phone gives it that creepier feel. This is also done in the Ouija trailer, where the music cuts and a character says something creepy. This builds tension right at the last moment and leaves the audience wanting more.

Poster-

I followed horror movie poster conventions by using a red, white and black colour scheme. I followed this by using red and white font and having a dark background. I also dressed my characters in grey, black and red to follow the convention. This is also used on the Truth or Die poster however; this poster also uses the colour blue.

Another convention is using small titles, generally at the bottom of the poster. I challenged this convention slightly as I did put the title at the bottom of the poster however; I made the font large and bold. The Hush poster and the Truth of Die poster also do this however; the Ouija poster challenges this convention more by having the movie title closer to the top of the page.

Another convention of horror movie poster is to include a release date. I included this in my poster and highlighted it in red to make it stand out more. This technique is also used on the Ouija poster.

I also followed convention by having my photo for my poster set in low-key lighting. I used this convention as I shot this photo on a gloomy day at around 4pm during wintertime. The Hush poster does this but more dramatically to intensify the image.

Another convention that I followed is the use of one large image to grab the audience’s attention; this is called optical focus. I followed this by including one large image on my poster in order to draw a viewer in and not have the poster to busy or cluttered. All three real media texts that I looked at in my research all follow this convention to some degree.

The last convention that I followed for my movie poster was anchorage. I did this by taking the photo for my poster in the same location I filmed at in my trailer and by using my two main characters. All three real media texts do this too. For example, the Hush poster uses the two main characters, the Ouija poster uses an image of a Ouija board and the Truth or Die poster used an image of the house from the opening scene.

Front Cover-

One example of how I followed horror magazine front cover conventions is by putting emphasis on the main character, generally using a close up or mid shot. I used a mid shot on my front cover just like Scream magazine.

One other convention of magazine front covers is to have the masthead at the top of the page. I followed this convention by placing my masthead at the top of the page and making it big and bold. This is done on all three real media texts that I looked at in the research stage of my project.

Another convention is to have the cover line across the feature article photograph but not covering it too much, generally placed along the bottom of the page. I placed my cover line (which was the title of my trailer) across my feature article photograph and I also had it running along the bottom of the page. Again, Scream magazine also followed this convention.

The last convention that I followed for my front cover was to have the plugs flush left and right of the page. I ensured that my plugs were flush left and right and I also made sure that they did not cover my feature article photograph. This is used on the Horror magazine front cover however; the plugs on that page do cover the feature article photograph a little.

Conclusion-

To conclude, I have followed horror conventions closely for my trailer, poster and front cover. I challenged a couple of conventions to please my demographic and to make my products stand out.

Evaluation: Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary?

Evaluation: Question 3 - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

What I learnt from my audience research-

• My narrative is portrayed clearly and my audience understood the plot. I achieved this through my use of dialogue, use of effects whilst editing to convey future events and the use of captions.
• My genre is conveyed well in my trailer as my audience said that my use of setting, the plot line of my trailer and my use of close ups clearly portray the horror genre.
• My audience said that my editing techniques enhanced my genre and made my trailer more dramatic, for example my use of fades to black, the fast paced editing and the eerie score at the beginning of my trailer.
• I also learnt that my audience would be enticed to watch the whole film due to the identity of my killer being unknown and the trailer ending on a cliff hanger; this is conventional for horror trailers.
• Lastly, I learnt that my ancillary products accompany my trailer well because all three products us the same protagonist, the same font and the same location is used in the poster and the trailer.

Evaluation: Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?