First question
- 1. By: Melissa Davenport In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 2. HUNT The title of my film provides the first initial reaction to what is about to be seen. It holds a lot of importance so I chose ‘HUNT’ because it describes the essence of the film. It is a striking word and I feel it works exceptionally well as a bold statement at the end of the trailer. I used capitals to reinforce the sense of urgency that the characters are feeling.
- 3. My first cut is extremely long, I did this because I wanted this sequence of events (the tour of the house) to be all one shot so that it is clear that this is a home video being made. This cut introduces the two main characters and portrays that they are living an extremely normal life; it lulls the viewer into a false sense of security. In terms of the thriller genre, this is a fairly common feature, for example in the Final Destination films the beginnings are always ‘happy holidays’ and the contrast to the end of the film is dramatic and engaging! Therefore I haven’t necessarily challenged the forms, I have developed and adapted them to work with my trailer.
- 4. Texts are often used to engage the reader and draw them into the trailer by physically involving them and questioning them. I developed this convention and used short sharp text screens to really grab the viewer’s attention. This convention draws viewers in and enables them to put themselves into the character’s position and furthering their desire to see the whole film as they feel so involved. This is a convention of real media products that I absolutely wanted to include in my own trailer and it is so effective.
- 6. Film Magazine Comparison Image: I have used an image with the actress being herself instead of the character to make it more realistic. I tried to get a similar pose but I thought the man was too dramatic so I told my model to tone it down and look pleasant. Layout: I have used the same layout because I think it looks professional, I have also used the same colour scheme. I tried to find the same font for the ‘FILM’ title but I couldn’t find it so I chose one that was of a similar style. Title: Both titles of the films are in bold and are at the bottom of the page. They are easy to read and the audience know what the main feature of the magazine is going to be about.
- 7. I am fairly confident with Indesign now, because I used it last year to create my school and music magazine, creating an effective film magazine and poster was a task I felt perfectly capable of achieving. Just by including things such as a barcode and price for the film magazine and the titles for the poster really contribute to creating an authentic look. On the magazine the actress is not in character and is posing for the camera; this is a common feature of film magazines. Although there are many covers where the actors are in character I really wanted my actress to not be in character and to be posing as herself so that it was clear that this is an article about the actress and her own views on the film. I wanted to portray a real life magazine and I definitely feel that I have achieved that. The poster I have used an image where the actors were in character to show what sort of character they are like.