In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?Film poster In order to create my film poster, I carried out a lot of research in order to get an in depth analysis of the film marketing world. Having carried out my research, I found a lot of features which continued to be a running theme throughout a whole range of posters. My film poster was intended for a very precise target audience, and so it was vital that I created a poster which clearly stood out among others. I planned to use conventions from current and previous media in order to establish a recognisable image that would intrigue my intended audience instantly. The main reason for using conventions of a horror poster on mine is that I know they have been a success. But, at the same time I want my poster to appear original and new, so I have combined features which dont necessarily hold conations that bind with that of the horror genre. I have taken some features from the poster the strangers. This was a very successful film which attracted many viewers, and so I based my basic layout in that of theirs. Although, there are some new features which I have introduced. My film poster includes social networking links as well as having the title at the top of the page. I included social networking links as my target audience is very much technologically based and have a vast interest in social networking sites. I the current day, having a large following on twitter for example can be the difference between success and failure. In turn, I chose to have the title at the top of the page as my focus group said they preferred that layout, but also it looked better and I wanted to step away from mirroring the strangers poster. In order for my film, film poster and film review page to be a success, I needed to create a title which clearly stood out and would be recognisable, I want people to see my title and instantly think of my media products. I based my title around three different film posters; the strangers scream and saw. These are all hugely successful films, hence why I took many conventions from their film posters in order to create mine. The font style I chose also has connotations of mystery and the unknowing, which are typical of the horror genre. In order to get the correct title, I asked my focus group which titles the preferred and why. The general census was that the second one down was the best one as it has connotations of horror and fear. The layout of my film poster is simple, but it is also effective. It draws in my target audience and they are clearly aware of what genre it is without having to read any further into my film. My target audience liked the layout opted for, and they also said that they main image I have used is captivating and very realistic. I have applied Levi Strauss theory of binary opposition to my poster as well. The general background is extremely dark, which holds connotations of the unknowing and fear. But, with my main character wearing a white t-shirt in the poster, this holds the connotations of purity and innocence. This resembles, and clearly represents to the audience, not only who my main character is, but who is the so called good character within my short film. Film review page My film review page overall has been very successful, I carried out a lot of planning to ensure that I met the wants and needs of my target audience. Throughout my research, I discovered a lot of conventions that many film review pages use. Such as a brief synopsis of the film, star rating, a main image which consumes at least half the page and reviews from newspapers tended to be headed at the top or bottom of the review. All these features mentioned above I used. I chose to have a main image that took up a lot of space, as this would entice and attract my target audience, the main image s of my main character approaching a gravestone. This appeals to my target audience as they will be keen to discover what is happening. The use of a clear defined main image is used across all film review pages. In current society, people have very little time to carry out pleasure activities such as viewing films and reading film reviews. So it was pivotal that I used an image that would coerce my target audience into viewing my film. The overall graphology of my film review page was in both mine and my targets groups opinions successful. The graphology would overall mean either success of failure for my film review page; I had to ensure that it was aesthetically pleasing. This was another convention which I induced from the film review pages in which I annotated and carried out research into. When creating my film review page, I used well known film review pages as my basic creation. I then developed on their ideas to put my own stamp on my review page. The reasoning for me using aspects of real media products is that these have already been tried and tested on thousands of people, hence why they are so successful. For me this was secondary market research, therefore it made sense for me to use similar conventions to film review pages which I researched. Another convention I used was the star rating of my film. The higher the star rating, the more likely the audience are to go and view the film. The star rating is an iconic convention of film review pages as well as film posters. Therefore I applied this convention to my film review page as I want to attract as many viewers a possible. I very much based my film review page on that of ones that I carried out research on. All the film review pages I researched had a very similar house style throughout, and so this was the first key convention I wanted to have when creating my film review page. I wanted to create a style that would be recognisable and aesthetically pleasing to both my target audience, but also the mass public. This is due to me wanting to attract a wider audience, as the short film market is a niche one. By attracting a larger audience, this would make my film a lot more successful, as well as increase the amount of views it will get. The overall aim of my film is to sell and intrigue new viewers to the short film market.Another convention of film review pages is the layout of the text. The text is commonly placed in columns, and so this is a feature I endorsed. It looks a lot more professional, as well as this its more practical for me when editing my film review page. When I planned my film review page, it was important that I included certain features such as, a captivating heading picture as well as a pull line. The audience is automatically drawn to the picture and 5 star review of my film. Due to the current technological world we now live in, its crucial that you engage your audience instantly, as time is very precious to people. Furthermore, I believe I have done a successful job in engaging and attracting my audience.The colour scheme I have chosen is very simple, but it coincides with my genre. The dark colours and white of my title make for a very aesthetically pleasing film review page. The colour scheme is important, as if you overcrowd or use too many colours, then my audience will not be attracted. This was something which I picked up on from my research of film review ages. The majority of film review pages I analysed consisted of three main colours, resulting in a highly successful house style. I used a similar house style to that of my research; I did this as they were all successful and globally recognised brands such as Empire. What they have created has been successful for many years, and so I endorsed their layout and choice of lexis. My colour scheme coincides with that of Levi-Strauss binary opposition theory. The black background of my film review page connotes evil and the unknowing, whereas the white of the film title Apparition connotes the innocence and purity of my main character. The use of colours was an important convention when planning my film review page, as I wanted to create a review page which created the effect of horror and the unknowing. This is a feature which I found running throughout film reviews on horror films.Short Film In order to create a short film which used and developed the forms and conventions, I had to carry out a lot of research into various short films. This laid the foundations for my personal film production. In terms of mise-en-scence, I created my characters costume around Levi-Strauss binary opposition theory. This is where my protagonist wore a white t-shirt throughout and my antagonist wore all black when he was seen. The reasoning for my protagonist wearing white is that white holds the connotations of innocence and purity; whereas the black of my antagonist represents evil and the unknowing. This subtle approach to my characters costume makes my target audience passively acknowledge who plays what role within my short film. In addition, the use of white to connote innocence positions the audience to feel compassion towards my protagonist. This is a feature which can be seen throughout a range of full feature films and short films such as the Saw franchise. The application of theory in my short film has enabled me to coincide with specific conventions and features used in other short films. Furthering my use of Mise-en-scene, I used other features such as lighting and props. For my horror film I had to ensure I used the correct lighting. Having carried out my research, it was clear that the climax of most horror films occurred at night when there was very little lighting. I had to ensure that the lighting I used was both appropriate and efficient enough to be able to view my protagonist. So again I was conforming with the typical conventions of a horror film. The use of minimal lighting conforms to the genre conventions as it creates a sense of unease.In terms of camera shots, I carried out a lot of research into the camera shots used in horror films in order to create meaning and power. I wanted to create a short film which captivated my audience. Through the use of a range of camera shots, I was able to portray a very definitive story. Many short films shot a lot of first person angles; I also used this feature as I felt it engaged my audience and made them feel like they are part of the story. I used this feature as it has already been tried and tested in other films such as Paranormal Activity, so therefore I know it will be successful in my short film. My focus group also really enjoyed the first person camera shot. They said they felt captivated and as if they were self-portrayed by the character. This is exactly the effect I wanted from using a first person camera shot. Furthering my research into camera shots, I discovered that in a horror film I would need to use a lot of fast cut editing in order to intensify the horror. This is a feature that can be seen in the climax of my film when the protagonist returns home. In many aspects, my use of camera shots very much coincides with that of a horror film. It is very hard to stray away from certain conventions and features, as this may mean that my audience are not definitive on what genre my short film is. Overall, the camera shots I have used very much conform with the genre of horror. I have applied a lot of my research into camera shots into my own short film as these camera shots have already been tried and tested, thus suggesting they are appropriate camera shots for me to use. In terms of narrative, I based my storyline on Todorovs narrative theory. In a short film it is hard to factor in all aspects of the narrative structure. In some ways I have challenged the typical narrative structure, as I have not included a new equilibrium. I have suggested to the audience that there will be one by ending my short film with an image of the antagonist, but due to time restrictions I could not physically represent the new equilibrium. By following this narrative structure, I have conformed with many horror films such as Saw and Paranormal activity which use this narrative structure. These are successful franchises and so it made sense to use an already tried and tested narrative structure. In turn this meant that my focus group were captivated by my short film.Overall, my media products on the whole use many conventions and features of previous real media products. This is due to these films being successful and also being a part of my genre, and so typically and features I use a likely to be similar to that of an already produced real media product.