1. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?

2. How does my trailer develop or challenge forms
and conventions of an existing trailer?

3. Production Logos/Preview
Card/Credits
I have followed the codes and conventions as
when making our trailer, we inserted a preview
card, production logo and the end credits. We
did this because when researching other
trailers I noticed that all of them had one, so in
order for our one to follow the codes and
conventions we figured that we needed to add
one.

4. Prop/Weapon Paradigms
When creating our trailer we thought of all the prop paradigms we could use, in order
to follow the codes and conventions. We used a mask. A mask is used in order to hide
the villains identity, thus making him mysterious, which creates a fear as it could be
anyone anywhere. We also used a knife a the murder weapon, we did this as a knife is
more personal and when a body is penetrated by a knife is has the same sort of effect
as being raped.

5. Setting Paradigms
When creating our horror movie
trailer we had to research in all
the setting paradigms, in order to
follow the codes and
conventions. The setting
paradigms consists of, isolated
places like houses, woods/parks.
That way when the victims scream no one can hear them. Other places consist of houses,
bathrooms and schools. Most of the films are set during the dark, this is because the dark
creates a fear in itself. We followed the codes and conventions of a real horror trailer, as
we set our trailer within the setting paradigms, we had our dace studio which is within a
school, we also had a dark isolated field/park, an isolated house and even a bath scene.
When using the school, we first set it
during the day to establish the
equilibrium, then when one of the
dancers decided to stay behind to
continue her rehearsal, it got darker
and the villain attacked. We did this
as most attacks in horror films occur
during the night.

6. Character Paradigms
When creating out main task (the
trailer) we had to make sure we had
the right character types I n order to
follow the codes and conventions of
a horror trailer. We decided to have
only 6 characters shown in our
trailer, the 4 girls, the boyfriend and
the villain. The 4 girls were each
given a label. We have the sporty
one, which was dressed in a football
shirt to emphasise this.
We then had a geeky girl who was dressed in casually clothes but wearing glasses to highlight
this. We then had a promiscuous girl who was dressed in revealing clothes. And finally we had
the virgin, who was also our final girl. She was dressed in an over sized t-shirt and a shirt. We
had the boyfriend dressed in normal casual clothing, in this movie he is in a relationship with the
‘final girl’. And finally we had the villain in a mask, and dark clothing. We followed the codes and
conventions as we had the different characters and highlighted their importance and into what
category they fit into, giving the audience an idea of who will die first.

7. Here we have the promiscuous girl, she
has been shown to be taking a bath. We
decided to show her in the bath as like I
psycho the promiscuous girl was killed in
the shower, and she was killed naked, like
a way of punishing her, doesn't deserve
to die wearing clothes. We named her
Tatum to link in with the promiscuous girl
in scream. As we used scream as one of
films we were basing our trailer on.
We have the geek, she has been
shown to be wearing a blazer, and
glasses to highlight her character
type. She was killed on her way
home from her dance practise.
We named her Kirby like the geek
in scream 4. As we used scream as
one of films we were basing our
trailer on.

8. This character is the sporty one,
we decided to name her Buffy.
The name is from the American
T.V series Buffy the vampire
killer, we decided to name her
Buffy as it links in with her
sporty character as Buffy was a
sporty character. In order to
highlight her character type we
dressed her in a sporty football
t-shirt, to show that she is into
sport.
These characters are the couple –
The boyfriend and the ‘virgin’. We
named the characters Thomas and
Nina based on the film ‘Black
Swan’ who are the couple in that
film.

9. Propp’s Character theory
Propp was a folklorist, who worked out that in
tales, there were 31 separate storylines only
that kept representing themselves. We can
see that in horror there are a limited number
of storylines, that keep repeating. Also, Propp
worked out that in texts there are a limited
number of character types. We can transpose
these to film. When creating our character
types for our film we used Propp’s character
theory to go about choosing our character
types. We have the hero which is also our final
girl and the ‘virgin’, we have the false hero
which is the boyfriend. We then have the
villain. Also the victims.

10. Todorov – Theory of Narrative
Todorov came up with the idea that every story has a certain type of structure.
Equilibrium: At the start of every story; everything is balanced; harmony accord.
Moment of disequilibrium: Something has happened; someone bad turns up,
equilibrium is shattered.
Disequilibrium: The ‘hero’ struggles to fix the wrong, that beset them and returns
to a place of equilibrium.
New Equilibrium: Villain is defeated and peace is restored but at a cost. Something
or someone has always been lost and the new equilibrium is tainted by this
experience.
This shot represent the equilibrium state of
the trailer, it’s set In the dance studio, the
non – diegetic sound links in with this. It
represents a calm state, there’s nothing to
worry about. It is set during the day.

11. This shot establishes the moment of
disequilibrium. The first victim is faced
with the villain. She is alone in the
dance studio after hours. By now the
non-diegetic sound has changed to a
more of a dramatic sound, the sense
of realisation, that not everything is as
it seems.
This shot establishes the disequilibrium,
our first victim has been shown dead. The
Non-diegetic sound crescendos and
speeds up, the shots also get quicker and
shorter, to create tension.
We do not show the new equilibrium as
when researching horror movie trailers
they do not show the new equilibrium,
also by not showing the new equilibrium,
the audience will want to watch it to see
if there even is one at the end.

12. Carol Clover – Final Girl Theory
Carol Clover stated that in horror films the girl always survives. If a girl dies it is
because she Is promiscuous. The final girl in our movie trailer was Nina, she is the
virgin, innocent and naïve girl of the group. She survives till the end and defeats the
villain. When shooting we decided to try and make her look as pure as possible, this
included making her hair natural and having no make-up on. As some people class
putting make up on as being promiscuous, so we avoided that. We decided to have a
final girl in our trailer in order to follow the codes and conventions, also when
interviewing people, we found out that they liked the idea of it, and wanted a girl as
a survivor.

13. Levi Straus – Binary Opposites
Claude Levi Strauss stated that constant
creation of conflict/opposition propels
narrative. Narrative can only end on a
resolution of conflict. Oppositions can be used
(light/darkness, movement/stillness) or
conceptual (love/hate, control/panic.) and to
do with the soundtrack.
In our trailer the binary opposites are the obvious, good verses evil,
control/panic and light verses dark. This follows the codes and conventions as
in every film not just horror there is always a conflict of some kind.

14. Sound
When choosing the right sound we had to make sure that it fitted in with
our trailer. After doing a lot of research into soundtracks using YouTube
and Google, we decided to create our own soundtrack. In the end we had 2
final soundtracks. In order to figure out which one to use, we decided to
show our focus group both of them with the trailer, they liked aspects from
both of them, so we attempted to fuse them together. However as they
were both in different keys we could not fuse them together effectively, so
in the end we decided to go with the one that our focus group liked the
best.
Our soundtrack follows the codes and conventions of a real horror trailer
soundtrack, as during the equilibrium state the non-diegetic sound if a
smooth melancholy to fit in with the equilibrium state, when the moment
of disequilibrium occurs, the non-diegetic sound changes to a more of a
tense sound, as soon as the disequilibrium state happens the non-
diegetic sound crescendos and gets quicker and more tense.

15. Lighting
When creating our trailer we followed the codes and conventions of lighting,
we kept it light to fit in with the equilibrium state. We gradually made the
settings darker as the trailer went along, to fit in with the disequilibrium
states.

16. How does my magazine cover develop or challenge
forms and conventions of existing magazine
covers?

17. Research Into Existing Magazine

18. Issue date and month, establishes when Gives the readers an
The Mast head- Its in red it was made, and gives the reader an insight of what else is in
with a white stroke, and a opportunity to research on other issues. the magazine. – Follows
black drop shadow. The ‘ – Follow codes and conventions of codes and conventions as
F’ and ‘A’ are extended at existing media products as like in other by highlighting the
the bottom, and are magazine covers it establishes the issue importance of this film, it
pointing inwards, like number and month. lures people in.
fangs which link in with
The image is of one of the
the name of the magazine.
characters dead. With red
The colour red is a
blood stains on her face,
traditional colour of
the colour of the blood on
horror, as it links to blood
her face links in with the
and gore. – This follows
colour of the ‘Fangoria’.
the codes and conventions
She is very pale almost
of an existing Fangoria
blending in with the white
magazine, due to the font,
background, highlights the
which is used in other
fact that she’s dead. The
existing Fangoria covers, I
image is a close up, this
have also used the iconic
follows the codes and
colour red to link into
conventions of an existing
blood and gore.
Information about media product as close ups
other articles, gives the are mainly used in order
reader a teaser of what for the audience to
they’re going to read if empathise with the
they buy the magazine. character.
The film title, is placed
Like a film role with below the image. It is in
images from other the same font as it is in
films. Gives the the poster, with gives
reader an insight of the sense of synergy,
what’s inside the linking the two together.
magazine, and as It follows the codes and
it’s a movie conventions as it
magazine- using a establishes who the
film role links in cover stars are.
with that.

19. How does my film poster develop or challenge
forms and conventions of existing film posters?

20. Research Into Film Posters