Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and

conventions of real media products?

By Joanna Boxall

Format conventions – Teaser trailer We aimed to make our teaser trailer promote realism and have similar links to real media products, we did this by making the conventions almost identical. Duration A typical teaser trailer would last from 60 seconds to 90 seconds. This is because an institution doesn’t want to give too much away too soon – it’s a great technique as it intrigues any audience at a large extent. During the teaser trailer, you would have a basic understanding of what the new film is about, and it is at this point that the individual would have come to the decision if they want to watch this film or not, it is like judging a book by its cover – this short clip decides almost everything for the audience.

Editing styleThe way the editor edits the video will have a major impact on everything. If the editing is used in a way to make the teaser trailer exciting, fast and intense, the ‘team’ will have a greater chance of having a successful end product. The elements that make up editing styles are as follows: shot choices, continuity, transitions, shot duration and pace. In our teaser trailer, we used shot choices to show dominance and importance in certain characters. For example, Tosin, who is portrayed as thinking he is an amazing sports participant, has an immense amount of screen time and his perspective is privileged as we are always shown what he sees. Continuity enables us to tell a story with narrative continuity – helping the viewer make sense of the action. There are some transitions editors use to make small but effective changes to the trailer which will entertain the target audience unexpectedly. Fade to black, dissolve and wipe are some of the transitions we used in our teaser trailer, all for different reasons. As we wanted a sporty, quick and fierce atmosphere we had to use short shot durations, this also added to the comedy as there was lots going on at once. Generally, short shot duration conveys action and urgency. In comparison, long shot duration creates a slower pace which was used when Tosin was talking to his crush, it allows us to focus on facial expressions so the audience get a feel of Tosin’s emotion.

Use of sound –In any teaser trailer, sound will shape the product all together. Sound is of high importance as it adds meaning and helps to build character and emotion Music The music in our trailer comes in after silence and after a short voice over. The wait for some sort of sound creates an intense atmosphere which is what athletes go through – this is what we were trying to promote. The music is quick, jolly, happy and reasonably old fashioned which is typical of any comedy film. There are lots of similar links to our trailer compared to other films which have similar story linesPace

The pace fluctuates as there are many mixed emotions in our teaser trailer. This is typical of any teaser trailer as there has to be a mix and variety so the audience can see most things which go on to make a quick interpretation Voice overWe have a voice over starting the whole trailer which gives the audience an opportunity to judge Tosin’s voice and match it with his face. The dialogue suggests his talent and love for sport, which we see different by the time we have watched the entire trailer. The sarcasm and realisation that he is a bad sports player should be viewed as a comical effect and this technique has been used in teaser trailers before

Text / graphic elements Throughout our teaser trailer, and throughout many; there is writing that comes up on the screen to guide and add to the narrative, to shape and make sense of the story. For example, at one point of the trailer, ‘this summer’ comes up on the screen to add to the intense atmosphere as he's getting ready for a sports game. It can also be used for additional information – promoting social media accounts, showing dates and giving praise to the institution. Narrative information given to the audienceThe narrative information given to the audience will tell you the story and plot of the entire film. This will entice an audience as narrative is the element which gets people emotionally connected as it’s the sequence of events shown which make the film flow and make complete sense – every teaser trailer has an aspect of realism which is created by the narrative.

Format conventions – poster Layout conventions A comedic poster must be eye catching and captivating to the audience. We did this by following typical layout conventions of other posters for films. There must be a focal picture that will draw in the audiences eye - the three main characters are all standing next to each other which show three major personalities in the film, the contrast of different people make the poster eye catching and interesting. The image is one of the main elements which make up the poster; as they always contain some type of iconography to reveal the films genre and something about the film. Every poster for a film will be eye catching in any way the layout is formed, this is of high importance as the cover is the first thing the audience see – ‘judge a book by its cover’ really does come into play. After the poster has an individuals attention; they should want to read information on the poster in hope of making them interested in the product and therefore interested to find out more or in this case, to go and watch the film. Icons are important as they are the only element on the poster to portray the genre of the film, which result in an individual liking the poster or choosing to ignore it. If the genre is not clear, there is a risk of loosing out on an audience.Like our poster, every poster has the films title on it, this is to make the audience aware of the name they can list it by in the future while looking for additional information on the finishing product. The following features are typically presented on posters for films, some are included on our own; directors, producers, actors, quotes, recommendations, ratings, awards, taglines, date, ratings and extra information

Format conventions – magazine

Layout conventionsTypically, on most magazine covers for films there are always similar conventions, despite the genre. The mast head takes up ¼ of the cover as its an important part as the title is what they will remember they're experience of looking at the poster when they think back to it in the future. There is always a barcode on the bottom right with a white background as its officially sold in shops. The cover image takes up the majority of the room, to signify the importance of the actors / characters part in the film. Colours, key words (names etc) and additional information is included in our poster and any others we researched to entice an audience.

Genre conventions NarrativeThe narrative of a film will tell the audience the genre, this is because all the storylines of a comedy, for example; will all be similar and it would be an easy task to identify the genre.CharactersTypically, characters in the same genre whatever film will have similar characteristics / personalities. This is because all films follow stereotypes / conventions. Although its repetitive, audiences seem to like films that follow stereotypical aspects. For example, in a rom-com; there is always an intelligent, young and beautiful woman. In contrast, the woman is always dating a ‘low life’ man who doesn’t deserve her. Audiences seem to love this. Another example would be, in a horror there is always a little innocent girl who becomes evil. Traditional and expected films will become more popular in the competitive industry.SettingStereotypical setting places include:Comedy: In the day time, good weather – this is because most events in comedy happen in the daytime / outside and inside. Horror: Some events happen in the day time but eventually there is night time scenes, normally bad weather like torrential rain to reflect the depressing atmosphere Location Comedy: At a high school or at home – this is where most comedy's take place. In my opinion, this is because characters are at a young age in comedy's and will be at school with their friends or at home with their parents, usually causing trouble. Horror: At a haunted house or somewhere near the woods – the location in a horror really adds to the scariness the creators are trying to get at. Having a good location in a horror puts them at an advantage to get a better ending piece. StyleThe style of a film will be the same depending on the genre. For example, the style of a comedy is always fast going, repetitive and funny. You will notice the style of different genres can be very similar.

Institutional conventions

Hollywood blockbuster – what would their media products be like?Hollywood blockbuster is a big, wealthy and popular institution which means there products will be more stereotypical therefore be more popular in the competitive industry. They have more money to get better location, actors, promote more of their products anywhere they would like etc. British independent – what would their media products be like?In contrast, an independent company has less freedom in what they would like to do as they have less money therefore less chance in making their films like all typical films (to fit the genre) – If they cannot afford a location, they will have to change the typical location an audience would expect for that genre. This could lose an audience as people don’t like change

Examples – existing media

Napoleon dynamite’s plot / story is very similar to our own, which is why I have chosen to compare their media products with ours.

Comparison 1: Teaser Trailer-In both teaser trailers, we begin to understand that both of the main characters hold similar characteristics; and this is portrayed through similar elements…

As both characters attempt to be grown and healthy men, we see their struggle when trying to drink healthy substances. This comical situation shows both their immature outlook about their care of what they need to do to be noticed.

Both characters experience some sort of physical bullying from other boys their same age at college. This contrasts with the fact both the boys are meant to be looking after themselves without any help, their failure to do so reflects their awkwardness and suggests they struggle making friends and can easily make enemies.

Both characters develop a strong relationship with another male character throughout the film and its briefly shown in the teaser trailer. Both friendships are reasonably bizarre and this creates a comical effect for the audience. For example, the conversations come across awkward which should come across comical.

Both characters have a female character which they try and impress. As you can see on both the females facial expression, they are not happy, nor impressed with the boys ‘skills’ – a typical storyline where a boy try's to win over a girl is great for comedy as the audience will enjoy this and find it very comical.

Comparison 2: Poster

Comparison 3: Magazine

In both posters, there is a variety of colour which makes it eye catching and interesting. Surprisingly, there is minimal information on both, just some writing at the bottom. The title is at the top so it can be seen – its an important element and needs to be seen clearly.

Although Harry Potter isn't the same genre as ours, all magazines have conventions the same despite the genre. For example, the title is joined with the picture as both images overlap the writing. This creates a sense of business – building up excitement for the audience. A barcode is always going to be on a magazine as you buy it at the shop.