Conventions of my Ancillary ProductsThis presentation explains the conventions of my products

Ultimate Film MagazineMy magazine applies the use of the route of the eye. All text has been placed in the line

that the eye naturally takes as it glances at the magazine. This technique is conventional

because it is an added convenience to the reader, and makes all information clear

because of its positioning. The route of the eye explains why I have placed coverlines at

the top and bottom, on the top right and lower left. They convenience the reader and boost the professionalism of the front cover

as a result.

From my research, I understood that it is conventional for the masthead to be placed across the top of the page, taking up all of the space, rather than being pushed to the left. I applied this convention to my magazine because it allows for a larger masthead, which grabs more attention. I applied the conventional use of the bold sans serif font for the same reason, to refine the quality of the magazine and enhance its aesthetics in the eyes of a potential reader.

Three coverlines, as well as the coverstory, have been aligned to make use of the left third of the front cover. The vast majority of magazines that I have observed have made use of this convention, because it gives order to the front cover and doesn’t make it seem cluttered, which will obviously put the reader off the magazine. By making use of the left third, my front cover looks ordered, professional, clean and aesthetically pleasing. These are important qualities to any successful magazine.

I have used key words on my magazine such as exclusive to enhance the appeal of my magazine to customers. All magazines use such words because it makes them seem better than competitors. To a fan of Fatal Silence, seeing the word exclusive above the coverstory enhances the appeal of my magazine. They know that they cannot get this interview anywhere else, so they will be more inclined to buy my magazine, which boosts sales. This is a conventional application of an enticing word.

The coverlines at the top and bottom of the page appear to bookend the magazine, giving a sense of order and logic to my front cover. They both make use of the route of the eye,

which results in important pieces of text being in positions that are eye catching to potential

customers.

I have applied colour in such a way that it captures the essence of the film that it

features. Fatal Silence is a thriller with set in a setting which very real elements of

danger. The red text is employed to connote that danger which is shown in my

trailer. The misty background has also been employed in this way, to capture that

chilling thrill that is emitted from a thriller film. My magazine has thus clearly made

use of the convention of modifying its colour scheme to suit the feeling of the

film involved on its front cover.

I have included the actor in my image in a medium shot. My research suggested that it was conventional to do this, or to use a

medium close-up. I chose the latter because I felt the inclusion of his arms

would make him look more in character. He is the antagonist, and I felt that the

medium shot’s relationship with the colour on this magazine would work together to create a product that reflects the tone of

the movie it concerns.

Fatal Silence Magazine PosterMy research told me that the vast majority of film posters contain a slogan of some sort. Additionally, I found that slogans are typically placed at the top of a poster, so with that in mind, I decided to apply the same technique to my poster. I chose the words ‘You were warned’ because it reflects the tone of the film, i.e. to have an element of mystery which is another convention. So by putting one single component onto my poster, I have covered three conventions.

I also discovered from research that posters tend to use a medium close-up or close-up shot of a main actor from the film. I have decided on this approach too. No-one wants to see a poster with an actor who makes a cameo. It simply wouldn’t be interesting. I applied some editing to the image, making the actor’s eyes a more overstated shade of red to reflect his role as the antagonist. This is conventional only on the basis that it gives the image a sense of reflection. It reflects the tone of the film.

Another obvious convention that I have made use of is the inclusion of ‘building block’ credits on the poster. I stuck closely to convention, using the typical agency font and making the credits small. This indicates that it is intended that the credits should not be the most important piece of text on the poster. I chose also to format it in a grey font to reinforce the intended role of the credits. The convention is that they are necessary, but not important.

I noticed that most posters include an age rating and other logos on the bottom of the

poster. The age rating has been included along side a sound company logo, and two

production company logos, including that of New Line. This is convenient information for the reader should they wish to know it, but to the casual observer, this information may not be important, so I followed convention

and made these logos smaller and formatted in a colour that does not immediately catch

the eye.

I added the date that the film is released to cinemas. Convention stated that this

information be necessary because the whole point of a poster is to advertise a movie. Readers want to know when the

film comes out, so I had to include a date. I chose to format it in a red font, and make

it larger than the surrounding logos and text, which ensured that it would draw

greater attention from the eye.

Usually, one or two leading actors are featured on the poster, to add an

additional wow factor that can draw in potential customers. It is proven that

actors draw in fans, therefore I had to include this vital detail. The question of

where to put the names of the actors was also solved by convention. Actor names are

conventionally placed immediately above the title of the film. The reason for this is

so that they draw attention to one another.

I made use of another convention by using the setting in the backdrop to the

poster. I wanted the actor to be standing in a pose, which I interpreted as a

convention, but I knew the inclusion of the setting also is a convention because

it adds insight into the nature of the film. I added mist in front of the film to heighten the chill effect that is created

by thriller films.