Magazine - John
Teaser - Peace
Poster - Ryan
Horror - Eilish
John- Magazine Conventions
From the layout of our magazine front cover compared to the examples given below, you can see that we’ve tried to use as many conventions of real media products as we could. Some of the conventions we have used include such things as having the main image of a mid-shot, positioned on the line of the rule of thirds, similar to the Empire magazines featuring Avatar and Harry Potter as shown above, which enables us enough space on the left to display the other components. This follows the convention of having the main subject in the middle of the page looking out at the reader, used to catch the attention. Another convention that we have used is that we have placed most of our features on the left, where we’ve reserved the Puff, the coverlines and the barcode with date. This is a commonly used magazine convention, but it is only evident with the examples that I have given, whereas in other magazine front covers, the coverlines are even balanced on both sides. However, I personally prefer this layout since the main attraction is the main image because it it’s the biggest component of the page and comes first in the priority, then follows the coverline and so on. This is why the coverline are positioned to the left so they are working together; constantly informing the potential reader with the magazine’s special as they scan down the page. This means that we have strictly followed the conventions of the example given, however, the editors of those magazine may have not followed the conventions of a real media product; magazine front cover, but they may have developed the convention where they have bent the pre-existing convection slightly.
Another convention that we have followed is the puff, but we
have not used an ordinary design puff but something more interesting. For
example, you can see in the Empire magazines featuring Avatar and Hellboy 2 the
both have a puff that is more or less a sticker. The purpose of a puff is to
attract the audience with a selling point. Here, we have made our trailer the
selling point of the puff, and we’ve also made it the second most attracting
point. Instead of using a simple shape such as a circle, we’ve use a glass
crack effect using our downloaded Photoshop brushes. As you can see, our puff
is much more interesting and eye catching compared to the examples given. This
is because it’s unusually, new and different from the others which make it
independent whereas the other magazines would have similar puff which means
they’re no longer new to the audience, however, our puff is new and at a whole
new level therefore makes it more interesting than the others. We’ve taught
outside the box meaning we haven’t strictly followed the conventions but
instead we’ve developed the rule and improve on the pre-existing convection
slightly. This can help in catching the attention of the potential reader when
scanning a magazine rack.
Other convention that we have taken into account is the
barcode. Every magazine must have a barcode otherwise it would an invalid
magazine, in other words; fake. Retailers use a Barcode register the magazine
quickly during its purchase and almost every magazine has their barcode on the
front as shown by the examples given. However, the magazine featuring Kick-Ass
does not have a barcode visible on its front cover meaning it is either invalid
or the barcode is available on the back instead. We have chosen to follow the
convention and displayed the barcode on the magazine’s front cover. This is the
obvious logic this can help indicating the potential reader that this product
is valid, when scanning a magazine rack. Therefore we have strictly followed
the conventions of real media products.
Some other of the conventions we have used but haven’t
strictly followed the conventions is the background image. Usually the
background image of a magazine front cover is simply plain and singled colour
and with gradient as shown in the examples giver such as the one featuring
Harry Potter, Avatar and Hellboy 2. We
concluded into having an effective background, similar to the example given
below of Empires magazine featuring Kick-Ass, which is where we’ve developed
the idea from. So we’ve used the background texts from the poster and we have
covered a piece of A4 paper is tea to give a sepia effect to add to the
background with the texts. This helps bring out the old fashion and sepia theme
that we have based out teaser trailer on. This technically means that we’ve
still managed to strictly follow the conventions of a real media product.
However, it could still be seen as we’ve developed on this convention if you
were to compare our product to the empire magazines featuring Harry Potter,
Avatar and Hellboy 2.
Peace - Teaser Conventions
The typical aspects of a horror teaser include, blood,
death, murder, antagonists, protagonists, isolated areas, violence, screams of help,
storms, monsters, ghosts, evil, and many other aspects that are associated with
horror. Our media production has used forms and conventions of real media
production by researching different attributes that contribute well in a
teaser. For example, the well-known psychological horror movie “Psycho” directed by Alfred Hitchcock became one of the most controversial horror films back in the 1960’s. The conventions used in this film were also used in our teaser trailer. Typically in a teaser the characters are shown to be female, the clip below explains exactly how we used and compared the conventions Psycho uses to create a successful trailer and movie
The
reason why we chose a sepia theme was because of the huge effect it has on the
audience. During our research we found that the sepia theme has a way of
bringing classical connotations and although it was not the typical conventions of a horror teaser we decided to challage it instead becasue we felt it would potentially bring a trend that will compliment our teaser as well as our other material, and on a whole as a company, the Planetary Group. The trailer below is a thriller called “white
lighting”. This trailer is an example of a sepia theme, although the sepia
colour seemed a lot more faded out than our actual trailer, it gives the connotation of
something that happened a long time ago. Alongside this it also makes the
audience feel engaged as it happened a long time ago giving the audience a
curiosity of wanting to know what happened back then.
Ryan - Poster Conventions
Throughout the designing of the poster we tried to use as many conventions of real media products as we could. After researching into other film posters, we came across many that focus around the face or eye(s). Therefore, we used a photograph of our main characters eye as it helps represent vulnerability and fear. We also included an old fashioned font for the title and slogan of our poster. This font is consistent throughout our poster, magazine and trailer to give our products a distinct identity. This follows the use of real media products, such as the "SAW" sequels, which use a distinct text in each product to help the audience identify their products.
Eilish - Horror Conventions
Quoted earlier in our blog, Psyhological horrors "Often related to the mind and effecting people psychologically. It normally reveals a certain evil behind something real which people can relate to such as Paranormal Activity. Often includes things that are not real including thoughts which are far from realistic and almost Supernatural"
There are several psychological films which we have all been watching throughout the process of our project, just to name a few
- Psycho
- Shutter Island
- Blair Witch Project
- Dread
- The Human Centipede
- Drag me to Hell
- The Orphan
- Exorcist
-Insidious
These have all shown various conventions which we have seen in all sub genres of horror films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljchb1tsLfs
Slow motion is a great effect which is used to create tension and also highlight dramatic irony. Tension is the basis of horror films and often the main thing to actually scare the viewers, which is why we wanted to include it throughout our horror teaser, we repeated a scene which shows the killer slowly progressing towards a door which allows the tension to build while giving more information with the shots in between the killers footsteps. Friday 13th and Priest 3D are two horror films which use slow motion although both being produced in different time periods, they both use it effectively. By having a USP of combining the use of old horror films with the technologies from the modern society which is why having similarities to both eras would only help the combination.
Dramatic irony is where the audience are aware of what is going to happen but the characters are unaware which is shown in several films giving the film a much more direct experience. We have used dramatic irony in a sense that there is a shot used leading up towards a door although we have progressed the shot and repeated it several times with several shots filling in between which is what will be happening once the killer has reached the door almost setting up the story and informing the audience. There are several uses of dramatic irony used in The Crazies, its about a breakout of a disease in a small town which means that they are unaware of its full impact although we as an audience have been shown a different perspective which the characters are oblivious too, also shown in Final Destination.
There is also similarities to films such as The Ring and Final Destination such as the use of multiple characters in the teaser which gives a sense that there will be multiple victims.
One huge example which a great example and uses many of the conventions we have shown throughout our trailer would be Halloween. Firstly the main convention used would be 'Male Gaze' which is used instantly in the first shot with a point of view shot with a filter which looks similarly to a pair of binoculars. In comparison to our teaser trailer, we have used a CCTV shot which is a high angle shot as if the male would be watching through a computer monitor. There are also conventions such as 'The Girl next door' and characteristics of 'The Final Girl'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljchb1tsLfs
Slow motion is a great effect which is used to create tension and also highlight dramatic irony. Tension is the basis of horror films and often the main thing to actually scare the viewers, which is why we wanted to include it throughout our horror teaser, we repeated a scene which shows the killer slowly progressing towards a door which allows the tension to build while giving more information with the shots in between the killers footsteps. Friday 13th and Priest 3D are two horror films which use slow motion although both being produced in different time periods, they both use it effectively. By having a USP of combining the use of old horror films with the technologies from the modern society which is why having similarities to both eras would only help the combination.
Dramatic irony is where the audience are aware of what is going to happen but the characters are unaware which is shown in several films giving the film a much more direct experience. We have used dramatic irony in a sense that there is a shot used leading up towards a door although we have progressed the shot and repeated it several times with several shots filling in between which is what will be happening once the killer has reached the door almost setting up the story and informing the audience. There are several uses of dramatic irony used in The Crazies, its about a breakout of a disease in a small town which means that they are unaware of its full impact although we as an audience have been shown a different perspective which the characters are oblivious too, also shown in Final Destination.
There is also similarities to films such as The Ring and Final Destination such as the use of multiple characters in the teaser which gives a sense that there will be multiple victims.
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