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Q1
- 1. In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. When viewing a film, the audience enters with certain expectations relating to the genre. As the theorist Daniel Chandler states: Conventional definitions of genres are typically based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or settings) and/or form (including structure and style) which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them. To back this up, Steve Neale (1980) refers to genres as “instances of repetition and differences”. What he means by this is that the audience will view your film with anticipation for certain aspects and key conventions that are repeated throughout other films and are seemingly unoriginal, but also anticipate the way in which you can make the film stand out against others through differences. This is referred to as conforming to and challenging conventions. When creating my trailer, this was a huge priority of mine, as gaining and understanding an audience is key to success in the film and media industry. I wanted to use forms and conventions typical to a thriller in order to market my product successfully and appeal to fans of the specific genre, however I also wanted to stand out in creativity slightly. Though I focused more on using and developing conventions, I did attempt to subtly use more complex shots in order to heighten atmosphere and appeal to the audience in a new way.
- 3. The trailer opens up with this extreme abstract close up of Alek rubbing his eyes. This challenges conventions as it is more of an artistic shot and doesn’t indicate any immediate and obvious connotation. The lighting is darkened to further make the content unidentifiable and the diegetic empty sound adds to the eeriness. Thriller trailers often only show shots with meaning towards the narrative, making this shot more complex. I am happy with this shot, as it opens the trailer with an initial feeling of discomfort and therefore dictates the viewers emotions to be unsettled: an aim of all thriller trailers.
- 4. Using the traditional conventions of a thriller film, this location is urban and desolate, being an instant indicator of the genre. This is the second shot shown with an overlay of the self-made film studios that the film is connected to. Showing this is also a convention of a film trailer as it brands the film slightly. The scenes are on the edge of a rooftop, already introducing danger. I used a handheld pan to expose the viewers to the whole isolated and urban location so that this can be seen clearly. The shot to the right is an example of a crime thriller trailer, clearly showing the urban location. Finding this image after creating my trailer, I realise that the bleak weather contributed to the atmosphere. If I were to reshoot this frame, I would consider weather to create the perfectly bleak thriller atmosphere, as although I edited the shot to be less saturated, the shot could be further improved.
- 5. Trailers often show a shot of the protagonist waking up as an indication of the storyline and plot beginning, a method in which I chose to use in this shot. Not only is the form of narrative conventionally correct, the mise-en-scene fits to the genre of crime thriller, a hoodie indicating the gang culture found in the plot (linking to crime) and the cool tones hinting at an uncomfortable and unwelcoming atmosphere. Example: in this 2017 horror, this shot is the first of the trailer. A shot shows her waking up, signifying the start of a story. Like my shot, the director has considered depth of field, ensuring that the character is the focus point of the shot, drawing attention and immediately creating an attachment between the audience and character.
- 6. Mirror shots hint at reflection within characters, being a giant convention used over a variety of genres. I used this shot as the plot involves my protagonist questioning himself and feeling doubt towards his own mind, feeling as if he is brainwashed and therefore is highly reflective. To fit this shot into the thriller genre as opposed to another, I darkened the brightness largely and removed the hue of warm tones by adding in cooler. This creates a creepy and unsettling appearance.
- 7. Special Effects (SFX) are often found in thrillers, the storylines being complex and sometimes holding fantasy. Showing the SFX through an extreme close up allows the theme of technology to be boldly introduced and informs the audience of plotline. I used a shallow depth of field to capture only some of the frame being in focus to represent his hazy and forgetful mind. The handheld camera also contributes to this atmosphere.
- 8. This dark scene holds many conventions. Shadowing and blue tones reflect the thriller genre and hint at mystery: the unknown reason for all of the crime. I included a girl smoking a cigarette to imply rebellion against law and danger (the gleam of fire). The girl is silhouetted to further reinforce the mysterious atmosphere. She is to the right of the frame, allowing the night location to be seen (though out of focus). Being a handheld shot, the audience feels inclusive of the shot and therefore are more impacted by it.
- 9. This shot distinguishes the contemporary time in which my trailer is set: clearly 21st Century where people are highly involved in use of technology. Low angle shots of investigation are found in other thriller films (such as Twilight) and are often found in trailers to be used as a form of narration…
- 10. This scene shows the protagonist, Bella, researching the word “vampire”. The director has used extreme close ups and fast paced editing to achieve the frantic paths of her thought. Though mine uses a long take, I used the method for similar reason: for the audience to see my character’s thoughts and to provide narrative. By choosing a shot showing crime rate, the crime sub-genre is introduced and confirmed. Filming the screen with the google search “I feel brainwashed” allows the audience to gain understanding of the narrative and of the characters helpless state. I found this method to be excellent as it was not too obviously stated and the subtle inclusion of it allows the reader to be pulled in, wishing to know why he feels this way. Using a google search as a thought path and for direction in narrative is a convention used among many trailers and is successful for reeling the audience in. BELLA RESEARCHES VAMPIRES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjNoYiXB5Sc
- 11. Using a conventional indication of danger, this long shot is once again uneasy and worrying to the audience. The camera angle is tilted slightly, making the frame appear lopsided and hinting that something is not right in the scene. It almost appears like surveillance. By using a fade transition to show the girl in fire, this foreshadows that something bad may happen to the character. In editing, I increased the saturation of the fire. This stands out in my trailer as I have dominantly used cool tones (conventionalising the trailer) and challenges the conventions.
- 12. Using the conventional costuming of the ‘villain’ character, the character of Blakes acts as a binary opposite (Levi-Strauss’s narrative theory) to Alek, being clothed in fully black and continuously being shot in harsh lighting. I only included him in one shot of the trailer, allowing a mystery to form around his character and therefore reel the audience in, asking: who is he? The costuming was inspired by many western characters, being territorial and fighting for survival. I wanted to create an evil spin on this look by interpreting the shady western style but in dark colours. I feel that the result resembles the clothing of Marla in David Fincher’s ‘Fight Club’, when she is portrayed as the villain and as a mystery.
- 13. Costuming is the main aspect of these shots. Storm is supposed to be a darker character, dressed in a darker hood which conforms to the conventions and stereotypes of a crime committing character. I purposefully incorporated red in the shot, hinting at blood and signifying danger surrounding her character. I placed a fade between the shots to show the difference in costume and therefore the difference in characteristics of the two.
- 14. In regards to costuming in mise-en-scene, I followed the conventions of a gang member whilst modifying them slightly to fit the character and narrative intention. As seen above, dark characters are typically dressed in black hoods and are often silhouetted on the camera. Though I costumed Alek in a hoodie (to confirm his involvement in crime) I ensured to avoid dark colours, as I wish for the audience to see the innocence in his character despite his actions. I also avoided backlight, allowing him to always be visible and recognisable to the audience, disallowing his identity to become evil to them.
- 15. As you can see, my magazine cover is highly influenced by this promotion of ‘Gone Girl’, finding that the magazine cover with a narrative is more effective than a magazine cover with an actor posing non-relatively to the film that they are promoting. Though my result appears less bleak, the narrative of my trailer is linked to this image. With my masthead, I used a simple font (like the example) to create a maximum impact and identification for previous readers- a quality found on most film magazines. I also ensured that the title of the film was in a large trademark font, centred in the page conventionally so that it can easily be seen.
- 16. Creating a simple poster allows the reviews and title to be more clearly seen. Using the conventions of reviews on the poster, this advertises the film to be successful and eye catching. The poster does not include the character clearly, a convention of lower-budget films as the actor is probably not well-recognised and therefore not needed to be promoted clearly in the poster. Furthermore, this assists the mysterious atmosphere of the poster, making the audience wonder about the plot. I added the special effect of the logo in his eye to hint at narrative- narrative being always suggested within the trailer conventionally. The font is simplistic and easy to read yet squared in a digital and sharp fashion, relative to a thriller poster.
- 17. CONCLUSIVELY I feel like using and developing conventions is key to a successful interpretation of the genre. By referring to previous works, I was able to identify which conventions worked and which were unneeded when capturing attention. When you use conventions, you are guaranteed a successful result in your genre being projected. Whether using conventions of genre of conventions of a product, it is completely beneficial as it allows the audience to recognise what you are creating and how they should be responding. Use of the green band identifies the product to be a trailer and informs of the age rating. A large masthead promotes the magazine and reels in previous readers. Reviews allow you to know the success of the film. A billing block informs you of the cast and crew as well as the nature of the production.