Evaluation

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

I believe that the multiple media products I have created during A2 have both developed and challenged the codes and conventions of real media products. I think that I have managed to do both of these things successfully through the use of multiple techniques and different media technologies.

At the beginning of my film trailer I decided to include a green appropriate audience banner as it followed the conventions of a real media product. Although this conformed to the codes and conventions of a film trailer, the way I used it also challenged them in some aspects. The main way that I did this was by dimming the colour of the banner. I decided to do this in order to hint to my target audience that it will be darker storyline. I also felt that it would set the tone of my trailer more effectively and appropriately, especially in comparison to the usual brighter green that is used in real media productions. By adapting the green appropriate audience banner to the theme and atmosphere of my trailer, I feel that I successfully developed the conventions of real media products further to a place where it would have a deeper impact upon my viewers. Below I have included the audience appropriate banner I created and the original one that is shown during real media trailers.

The first piece of original footage that is shown in my thriller trailer ‘Lazarus’ is a close up shot of my main protagonist, Michael. By starting my media production off with this scene, I think that I have effectively challenged the conventions of a real media product. From frequently analysing multiple thriller film trailers, I came to the conclusion that the majority of them started with an establishing shot of a secluded location in order to set the atmosphere of the story. However I decided to use a different shot, allowing me to immediately introduce Michael, the protagonist in a seemingly intimate and distressing manner to the audience. I feel that expressing this amount of detail in his face enables the viewer to empathise with the character, successfully creating an emotional connection. I developed this bond between the audience and the protagonist so that when he inevitably died in the film, it would have a bigger impact on the viewer and invoke a more emotive reaction. Through the use of extreme close up camera angles I was also able to challenge the conventions of a real media product further. What I portrayed was quite an intimidating and invading view of the character which I felt highlighted the fact that he will play a very important part in the storyline.

After the scene of my protagonist Michael in the pub, I decided to insert a clip of the Warner Brother’s institution. I felt that by using this, it allowed me to create an important link between my own media production and real media products. I thought that Warner Brothers was the best option for my trailer because it is very well known amongst my target audience, age 15-18. They have also successfully produced a variety of thriller films such as; Inception, Harry Potter, The Dark Knight and The Shining. I used this particular video because I felt that the colour scheme fit in best with the genre of my film trailer and it successfully portrayed the atmosphere I was aiming to achieve.

The placement of the Warner Brother’s institution clip in my trailer challenges the conventions of real media products because it is usually shown right at the beginning before any actual footage is revealed, for example in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. However I think that where I have placed it in my trailer is successful and works best with the rest of my footage and sound, especially as it effectively juxtaposes the music that I decided to use. The song Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra is a jazz song and therefore the connotations are joy, elegance and sophistication, whereas in contrast to this the Warner Brothers institution is dark and atmospheric which is the exact opposite of the song that I chose to include.

Despite challenging some of the conventions of real media products I also think that my trailer successfully met a lot of the conventions portrayed in other thriller film trailers. One example of this is the large variety of different camera angles and shots that I used. Before I started my production I made a list of camera angles that I felt were the most effective in thriller trailers that I had analysed previously. Looking back on this lost I confirmed that I had included them all. Some of the ones I have used are ariel shot, close up, medium shot, long shot, establishing shot, over the shoulder shot and extreme close up.

Another feature in my trailer that conformed to the thriller genre conventions was the use of low lighting. In most of the scenes I used low lighting in order to create an eerie and tense atmosphere for both the audience and the characters in my story. I also used lighting to help differentiate the scenes which were set in present day and the memories.  For example the light in the memory of the children playing was brighter and made the characters and circumstances seem much happier compared to the shots where the environment appeared dark and faded. The main reason I did this was to emphasise the fact that the storyline had escalated and was going down a darker and more dangerous path.

Overall I think that my trailer both successfully developed and challenged the conventions of a real media products.