In what ways does your media products use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Film poster
In order to create my film poster, I carried out a lot of research in order
to get an in depth analysis of the film marketing world. Having carried
out my research, I found a lot of features which continued to be a
running theme throughout a whole range of posters. My film poster was
intended for a very precise target audience, and so it was vital that I
created a poster which clearly stood out among others. I planned to use
conventions from current and previous media in order to establish a
recognisable image that would intrigue my intended audience instantly.
The main reason for using conventions of a horror poster on mine is that
I know they have been a success. But, at the same time I want my poster
to appear original and new, so I have combined features which dont
necessarily hold conations that bind with that of the horror genre.
I have taken some features from the poster the strangers. This was a
very successful film which attracted many viewers, and so I based my
basic layout in that of theirs. Although, there are some new features
which I have introduced. My film poster includes social networking links
as well as having the title at the top of the page. I included social
networking links as my target audience is very much technologically
based and have a vast interest in social networking sites. I the current
day, having a large following on twitter for example can be the
difference between success and failure. In turn, I chose to have the title
at the top of the page as my focus group said they preferred that layout,
but also it looked better and I wanted to step away from mirroring the
strangers poster.
In order for my film, film poster and film review page to be a success, I
needed to create a title which clearly stood out and would be
recognisable, I want people to see my title and instantly think
of my media products. I based my title around three different
film posters; the strangers scream and saw. These are all
hugely successful films, hence why I took many conventions
from their film posters in order to create mine. The font style I
chose also has connotations of mystery and the unknowing,
which are typical of the horror genre. In order to get the
correct title, I asked my focus group which titles the preferred
and why. The general census was that the second one down
was the best one as it has connotations of horror and fear.

The layout of my film poster is simple, but it is also effective. It draws in my target audience and they
are clearly aware of what genre it is without having to read any further into my film. My target
audience liked the layout opted for, and they also said that they main image I have used is
captivating and very realistic. I have applied Levi Strauss theory of binary opposition to my poster as
well. The general background is extremely dark, which holds connotations of the unknowing and
fear. But, with my main character wearing a white t-shirt in the poster, this holds the connotations
of purity and innocence. This resembles, and clearly represents to the audience, not only who my
main character is, but who is the so called good character within my short film.

Film review page

My film review page overall has been very successful, I
carried out a lot of planning to ensure that I met the wants
and needs of my target audience. Throughout my research, I
discovered a lot of conventions that many film review pages
use. Such as a brief synopsis of the film, star rating, a main
image which consumes at least half the page and reviews
from newspapers tended to be headed at the top or bottom
of the review.
All these features mentioned above I used. I chose to have a main
image that took up a lot of space, as this would entice and attract
my target audience, the main image s of my main character
approaching a gravestone. This appeals to my target audience as
they will be keen to discover what is happening. The use of a clear
defined main image is used across all film review pages. In current
society, people have very little time to carry out pleasure activities
such as viewing films and reading film reviews. So it was pivotal that
I used an image that would coerce my target audience into viewing
my film. The overall graphology of my film review page was in both
mine and my targets groups opinions successful. The graphology
would overall mean either success of failure for my film review
page; I had to ensure that it was aesthetically pleasing. This was
another convention which I induced from the film review pages in which I annotated and carried out
research into.
When creating my film review page, I used well known film review pages as my basic creation. I then
developed on their ideas to put my own stamp on my review page. The reasoning for me using
aspects of real media products is that these have already been tried and tested on thousands of
people, hence why they are so successful. For me this was secondary market research, therefore it
made sense for me to use similar conventions to film review pages which I researched. Another
convention I used was the star rating of my film. The higher the star rating, the more likely the
audience are to go and view the film. The star rating is an iconic convention of film review pages as
well as film posters. Therefore I applied this convention to my film review page as I want to attract
as many viewers a possible.

I very much based my film review page on that of ones that I carried out research on. All the film
review pages I researched had a very similar house style throughout, and so this was the first key
convention I wanted to have when creating my film review page. I wanted to create a style that
would be recognisable and aesthetically pleasing to both my target audience, but also the mass
public. This is due to me wanting to attract a wider audience, as the short film market is a niche one.
By attracting a larger audience, this would make my film a lot more successful, as well as increase
the amount of views it will get. The overall aim of my film is to sell and intrigue new viewers to the
short film market.
Another convention of film review pages is the layout of the text. The text is commonly placed in
columns, and so this is a feature I endorsed. It looks a lot more professional, as well as this its more
practical for me when editing my film review page. When I planned my film review page, it was
important that I included certain features such as, a captivating heading picture as well as a pull line.
The audience is automatically drawn to the picture and 5 star review of my film. Due to the current
technological world we now live in, its crucial that you engage your audience instantly, as time is
very precious to people. Furthermore, I believe I have done a successful job in engaging and
attracting my audience.
The colour scheme I have chosen is very simple, but it coincides with my genre. The dark colours and
white of my title make for a very aesthetically pleasing film review page. The colour scheme is
important, as if you overcrowd or use too many colours, then my audience will not be attracted. This
was something which I picked up on from my research of film review ages. The majority of film
review pages I analysed consisted of three main colours, resulting in a highly successful house style. I
used a similar house style to that of my research; I did this as they were all successful and globally
recognised brands such as Empire. What they have created has been successful for many years, and
so I endorsed their layout and choice of lexis. My colour scheme coincides with that of Levi-Strauss
binary opposition theory. The black background of my film review page connotes evil and the
unknowing, whereas the white of the film title Apparition connotes the innocence and purity of my
main character. The use of colours was an important convention when planning my film review
page, as I wanted to create a review page which created the effect of horror and the unknowing.
This is a feature which I found running throughout film reviews on horror films.

Short Film
In order to create a short film which used and developed the forms and conventions, I had to carry
out a lot of research into various short films. This laid the foundations for my personal film
production.
In terms of mise-en-scence, I created my characters
costume around Levi-Strauss binary opposition theory. This
is where my protagonist wore a white t-shirt throughout
and my antagonist wore all black when he was seen. The
reasoning for my protagonist wearing white is that white
holds the connotations of innocence and purity; whereas
the black of my antagonist represents evil and the
unknowing.

This subtle approach to my characters costume makes my target

audience passively acknowledge who plays what role within my
short film. In addition, the use of white to connote innocence
positions the audience to feel compassion towards my
protagonist. This is a feature which can be seen throughout a
range of full feature films and short films such as the Saw
franchise. The application of theory in my short film has enabled
me to coincide with specific conventions and features used in
other short films. Furthering my use of Mise-en-scene, I used
other features such as lighting and props. For my horror film I
had to ensure I used the correct lighting. Having carried out my
research, it was clear that the climax of most horror films
occurred at night when there was very little lighting. I had to
ensure that the lighting I used was both appropriate and efficient
enough to be able to view my protagonist. So again I was
conforming with the typical conventions of a horror film. The use
of minimal lighting conforms to the genre conventions as it
creates a sense of unease.
In terms of camera shots, I carried out a lot of research into the
camera shots used in horror films in order to create meaning and
power. I wanted to create a short film which captivated my
audience. Through the use of a range of camera shots, I was able
to portray a very definitive story. Many short films shot a lot of
first person angles; I also used this feature as I felt it engaged my
audience and made them feel like they are part of the story. I
used this feature as it has already been tried and tested in other
films such as Paranormal Activity, so therefore I know it will be
successful in my short film. My focus group also really enjoyed
the first person camera shot. They said they felt captivated and
as if they were self-portrayed by the character. This is exactly the
effect I wanted from using a first person camera shot. Furthering
my research into camera shots, I discovered that in a horror film
I would need to use a lot of fast cut editing in order to intensify
the horror. This is a feature that can be seen in the climax of my film when the protagonist returns
home. In many aspects, my use of camera shots very much
coincides with that of a horror film. It is very hard to stray away
from certain conventions and features, as this may mean that my
audience are not definitive on what genre my short film is.
Overall, the camera shots I have used very much conform with
the genre of horror. I have applied a lot of my research into
camera shots into my own short film as these camera shots have
already been tried and tested, thus suggesting they are
appropriate camera shots for me to use.

In terms of narrative, I based my storyline on Todorovs narrative theory. In a short film it is hard to
factor in all aspects of the narrative structure. In some ways I have challenged the typical narrative
structure, as I have not included a new equilibrium. I
have suggested to the audience that there will be one by
ending my short film with an image of the antagonist,
but due to time restrictions I could not physically
represent the new equilibrium. By following this
narrative structure, I have conformed with many horror
films such as Saw and Paranormal activity which use this
narrative structure. These are successful franchises and
so it made sense to use an already tried and tested
narrative structure. In turn this meant that my focus
group were captivated by my short film.
Overall, my media products on the whole use many conventions and features of previous real media
products. This is due to these films being successful and also being a part of my genre, and so
typically and features I use a likely to be similar to that of an already produced real media product.