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

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In order to reinforce variation and interest I have decided to both challenge and reinforce conventions of real media products. This I decided to do after researching Steve Neale and his genre theory where he states that ‘genre are instances of repetition and difference’, and that there would be ‘no pleasure without difference’. I have therefore decided to apply this to conventions of my media products in general (not being specific to genre), as I feel that his theory can be universally applied.

Trailers

We decided to use the platform ‘Youtube’ to advertise our trailer. This is a convention itself as all of the trailers that we deconstructed were on this website, after being originally shown during advert breaks on the television and varying channels. Before filming, storyboarding, and planning our entire film, my group and I deconstructed 5 different film trailers of multiple genres and 12 different film trailers of the ‘romance drama’ genre, in order to gain a clearer understanding of the conventions of that particular genre as well as conventions of film trailers themselves. Of which our key conventions of trailers in general that we discovered were…

1.) Use of a disclaimer title at the beginning 2.) Film production logo at the beginning 3.) Time length is usually between 1min30 – 2min454.) Character introductions and top billing mentioning5.) The use of music and voice overs

There are many more conventions that we found on film trailers that have been identified on the ‘conventions of trailers’ page (https://emilyba2.wordpress.com/conventions-of-trailers/ ). What is most important however is that we clearly understood the conventions of our chosen genre (Romance Drama). Genre is vital in the production of products for consumers, so that the correct audience are attracted to the right film (specifically on opening weekend), which shall result in the film receiving more positive reviews/profit. My group and I have created a ‘romantic drama’, and begun by researching on the internet (Google), but also focused on looking at pre-existing ‘romance drama’ films/trailers/posters and magazine front covers. From this we were able to develop a list of conventions that we would base our products around so that our target audience could easily establish the genre. The key conventions identified were as follows…

1.) Traditionally the main characters consist of a male and female2.) Typical locations are often urban areas3.) The tone of the background music used begins lightly and increases in tension. 4.) Use of enigma code5.) Camerawork consists of many close ups to show emotion.

Again there are many more that we have identified that contributed to the shaping of our final product. These can be found on our ‘Romance Conventions’ page (https://emilyba2.wordpress.com/romance-conventions/ ). One example of a convention that we followed is the use of a heterosexual relationship between the two lead characters. This convention was one that was noted and was consistent throughout all of the trailers that we deconstructed. One example of this is seen in the trailer ‘The Vow’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8swF2-R6X9A ), which included characters Paige and Leo attempt to amend their relationship after a car crash leaves Paige with memory loss. This convention we consciously decided to follow as we felt that the relationship would be easier to portray, seeing as the all of our possible actors were heterosexual and would feel most comfortable playing a heterosexual character. It also worked out conveniently as our two lead characters were in a relationship off-screen, therefore would allow for increased chemistry between the two. However an element of this relationship that we manipulated was the power that each individual obtained within the relationship. Whereas it is conventional that the male obtains the most autonomy within the relationship, we have decided to reverse this so that our female character is portrayed as strong and independent, and the audience can identify but also be motivated by her. This is shown through our storyline where the male gets captured in Syria, and the female character works to find his where a bouts and save him. We have therefore also reversed the character types proposed by Vladimir Propp, of the princess (is male therefore a ‘prince’), and the hero (is female therefore is a heroin), which shows the development of some conventions of real media products. This idea of a role reversal can be seen in one of our deconstructions ‘Titanic’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCy5WQ9S4c0 ). The iconic image of the female lead and male lead (shown below), shows the female character (Rose) standing in front of male character (Jack), which implies that she is of more importance and is the centre of attention. Jack is then stood behind Rose and clings onto her waist which creates the image that he is relying/dependent on her and is less autonomous within their relationship.

We also conformed to the idea of depicting a large element of enigma code within our trailer, in order to attract audience by giving them an element of the story without revealing too much.

Enigma is utilised in all trailers as an advertising/marketing purpose, and was first identified as a key point by Roland Barthes. An example of a trailer that we deconstructed that obtained much enigma is ‘The Fault in Our Stars’(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuVjGbncgQE ), which includes stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The storyline is based around two cancer patients who fall in love, with the main enigmatic element being ‘will they both survive/beat cancer?’. The trailer does not reveal the answer to this, however grips the audience with its dramatic narrative. We have employed enigma in numerous ways. The first question that the audience shall ask after watching our trailer is ‘Will Matthew survive/return?’, but shall also question as to if ‘The relationship shall survive’. We have also included a narrative red herring through the use of a ‘brother’ figure, however the audience are not aware that he is Sarah’s brother, and will not be informed of this until they watch the entire film. The trailer simply suggests that he is her new romantic interest, and that she has given up on Matthew.

Here are some other conventions that we have both conformed to and challenged.

General conventions

Convention Conformed Challenged DevelopedTrailers are usually between

1min30 and 2min45We conformed to this (our

trailer is 2min24secs). A trailer too short would not provide enough information for the

audience, but also a trailer too long may become boring

resulting in lack of attention from the audience.

Disclaimer Title We conformed to as we felt that it was a necessary element for legal reasons to include, and

we would not benefit from deciding not to include it (it

would make the trailer look less realistic)

Film production logo We have conformed to as we felt that it was an important

advertising feature, that would also be beneficial for legal

reasons.

Film Title is usually shown towards the end of the

trailer so that the audience can remember it

We chose to include at the end (2min11), as if it is one of the last things that the audience see they are more likely to

remember it.

Social Media is a fairly recent convention but is becoming very common.

The inclusion of websites/hashtags/facebook

pages allows the audience to interact thus becoming

more attached.

We decided to include this as we felt that the advertising

benefits should not be missed out.

Character introductions We chose not to have our actors

introduced in the trailer at the

beginning as we felt that footage

of them alone would be top

billing advertisement

enough and the names of them are not of great

importance. However we did

include their names in the credits at the

end of the trailer for legal reasons.

Music and voice overs often indicate the budget of the film (a famous singer may

have one of their songs included). Voiceovers then

guide the audience (this can

We decided to use dialogue from our footage to act as our voice over. This is due to the

fact that we felt that this would emphasise the role of our

characters/actors and allow for

We chose not to utilise a famous singer’s song for

our backing music. This is

because we were

be an external voice, or the voice of the character from

the footage)

identification with the audience. We also did not think

we would be able to find someone with a suitable voice

to act as the narrator.

restricted due to copyright laws. Therefore we

asked our friend (who produces

music) to create us a suitable song. This we

therefore got to choose the style of our music so that it suits us

more.‘Based on…’ is often used in order to attract readers of

the book/promote the author

We decided to use this, by utilising the same author as ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. This

therefore allows for promotion through another film that is of a

similar genre.

Genre Conventions

Convention Conformed Challenged DevelopedUse of urban areas We have included numerous

shots in ‘urban areas’ for example the ‘riverside walk’, which create a ‘happy/calm’

atmosphere.

However we have also utilised

locations (such as Holly’s Café and

London), to show the ‘dating’

element of their relationship.

-

Heterosexual Relationship

We conformed to as it we felt that it would be most

appropriate.

- -

The tone of the music in the trailer begins quietly and

continues to increase.

We have conformed to this convention as we felt that it

would suit the entire narrative of our trailer (music

gets more intense as the

- -

narrative becomes more dramatic).

Dialogue comes later on in the

trailer

We have included dialogue at the

beginning of the trailer where the male character

(Matthew) asks if the female

characters name is Sarah.

Dialogue = ‘Sarah?’

Instead of having no dialogue at the

beginning instead we decided to include some (so that the

characters and their relationships can be

introduced), and instead increase the

amount of dialogue so that it becomes more

concentrated.Props are not

specific to genre however have

deeper meanings in order to

establish themes

The café that we chose to have our ‘meeting location;

contains table décor that was decorated with heart shapes (symbol of love), therefore

establishing the genre.

Other props that we have utilised give insight into the

narrative. Eg Laptop and pen show the

profession of Sarah.

The passport shows that Matthew is

travelling abroad.

Camerawork consists of a

variety of shows but many close ups to show emotion.

We have utilised many close up shots due to the emotion

that our characters experience.

Editing and transitions consist heavily of fades, cross cutting and

bright light blurring

We utilised many ‘fade’ transitions as we felt that it

was most appropriate.

We changed the transitions that we used

depending on the tension of the trailer.

For example at the beginning of the trailer when the background

music was quiet we felt that a fade transition

would be most suitable, however as the tension increased we began to utilise cross-cutting (a

harsher/faster transition) so that the

atmosphere was effective.

Magazine

Convention Conformed Challenged DevelopedTitle (Masthead)

Specific font One main

word as title Fills entire

top quarter of page

Price/ issue/date is next to title

I conformed to all of these conventions due to the fact that the reasons for these

conventions are for advertising purposes, so therefore feel that it is important to

follow them.

Puff offers an additional item alongside the

magazine.

I decided to follow this as it is likely to provide an incentive for buyers. I have

thought carefully about the most suitable ‘freebie’, and decided to choose one that

my target audience (film enthusiasts) would enjoy.

Buzz words usually feature within the

main feature article

I have chosen to include buzz

words however not for the main feature. I instead

used them for the other film features of the magazine. This I chose to do so that the other

films would also be promoted (as I felt that my film feature already

had enough promotoion)

Main cover line is the largest text on the cover (besides

the title) in order to give more

I felt that it was important to have this text large in order to promote my film feature

as much as possible. This is so that it is eye-catching to the audience and is the first

thing that they see.

information about the main article

Strip across the bottom/top of the

magazine shows the audience addition

stories

I decided to slightly alter the direction so that it was a diagonal so that I could incorporate it into the film reel at the bottom of the front cover. This is pleasing to the eye, and is likely to please the consumers.

Posters

Convention Conformed Challenged DevelopedIcons – help to establish the genre of the film

The icons that I have included clearly establish the genre as a romance, due to the loving/embracing position that the

couple are in.

Titles are important especially regarding size/colour/font to

help genre identification

The font I chose due to its traditional/conventional romance

connotations, which helps to identify the genre. It is the largest piece of text in the

poster therefore attracts the most attention.

The colour I chose initially

was white however

increased the transparency

which resulted in a ‘greyish’ colour. The

colour itself is not

conventional for romance films however it fits

in with the entire colour

scheme of the poster.

Directors/ I followed conventions by including the However I chose

producers/actors two lead actor’s names at the top of the poster, above the side that each appears

on. This I chose to do because the because being at the top of the poster suggests

importance.

not to include the

director/producers name as a

large feature in the magazine (only in the

billing block), as I felt that this would only be appropriate if

they were well-established.

Quotes/Recommendations/Ratings and Awards

I chose to include ratings and quotes as I felt that positive reviews would help

promote the excellent quality of the film and therefore provide incentive to watch

the film.

Taglines Help indicate the narrative. I chose the tagline ‘Will love prevail?’, not only due to the fact it is included in our trailer, but also due to the fact that it clearly shows that the genre of film is a romance.

Date is usually fairly large/bold.

I chose to have my date in the middle of the billing block, however in a different font, size and colour so that it stands out. The date that I chose was the 14th February (Valentine’s Day) which therefore reinforces the fact that the film is a romance.