Following and Challenging Codes and Conventions
In
order to create an original and authentic piece of media, the
practitioner must follow the ‘repetition and difference technique’.
During the production of creating the ancillary tasks and film trailer, I
would definitely say that I followed this technique. I used existing
codes and conventions of the media texts, but also played around with
and changed certain aspects, to achieve an element of freshness and
individuality. Theorist
Stephen Neale says that media practioners should not be restricted by ‘rigid
rules of inclusion and exclusion’ when it comes to choosing the conventions you
will be using. I became
familiar with the appropriate codes and conventions by analysing posters
(including teaser posters), film trailers and magazine front covers
(including subscription editions). I analysed films that belonged to the
horror genre, but specifically ones that where
supernatural/psychological and ones that inspired my own work. By doing
this, it helped me have a greater understanding of what my media pieces
should look like and feature. According to the theorist Alastair Fowler,
Audiences learn what conventions are associated with genres through
“unconsciousfamiliarisation”. This is the idea that when audience watch
numerous film that belong to one genre, they subconsciously spot the
conventions used then begin to associate them with that type of
film/genre. In my own work, I used existing codes and conventions but
also decided to challenge certain aspects to achieve a sense of
uniqueness and freshness. I have used codes and conventions across the 3
pieces of media products that I have created.
Film Magazine
Film Magazine
For instance in the creation of my film magazine I decided to opt for a quirkier approach to the masthead. Traditionally mastheads on film magazines tend to follow the same characteristics such a bold, serif fonts which are traditionally aimed at a male target audience. Even though I decided to go for a horror based film magazine, I wanted to encorporate many of the codes and conventions that mainstream film magazines follow, for instance the large bold masthead as seen on empire....
and the unconventional masthead of Total Film...
I like how the 'Total' part of the masthead is hidden within the 'Film' text. I wanted to incorporate something like that on my own masthead as it looks stylish and professional.
Seeing as how my mgazine specialises in Horror Films I wanted to add a unique touch to signify its genre whilst still refering to the mainstream mastheads above.
My film magazine front cover also follows
codes and conventions of magazine front covers. Again, as my front cover
was a subscription limited edition front cover, it also had separate
codes and conventions. You very rarely see sub-genre special edition horror magazines so this was one way in which I challenged conventions. It was difficult finding a horror magazine that released limited edition issues however whilst researching I came across a Horror film magazine called Paracinema which was a magazine which specialised in Supernatural Horror. I was so excited!
This then became one of my inspiration for my magazine as I wanted to create a horror magazine which offered its readers a chanced to own a limited edition Supernatural horror guide on the latest releases and interviews. I like how Paracinema have pushed the boundaries in terms of mode of address and its main image which is of the infamous main girl from the genre classic, The exorcist. I also want to use a main image which is unconventional and will ultimately really scare my readers. Another element which inspired me is the decision to place such an iconic image on the front; when drafting ideas for my main model image I was deterred from the idea of placing the characters of Katies face on the cover as I wanted her first apperance as a demon to be on screen. I then realised that Paracinema were able to get away with using that image because it is so iconic, and ultimately that is what I would want the face of the film to become.
However, in terms of mainstream publications my main inspiration was the the Empire Star Trek issue and the Total FilmDark Knight issues which featured the two main actors from both films. I decided to choose these two as in contast to the Paracinema cover, this magazine features two male actors whose roles are so well know, they only have to advertise a head shot of their character and the audience would know what film they are advertising. The masthead was placed at the top of the
page, in bold writing to standout. This relates to my magazine as although my film is not as well known as The Dark Knight or Star Trek, it features the main protagonists face to show evoke fear. Also, the
date and price is placed in small writing below the masthead. Finally,
the barcode is placed in the bottom right hand side of the page, which
is where the target audience’s eye will go last.
The similarities between the front cover I
have created and the Empire and Total Film covers is that the model’s head
is behind the masthead, this is uncommon for Empire and Total Film as it has become a global brand the masthead is dominated by the main image, largely to the fact that it is so well known. Many people will be able to recognise an “Empire” magazine
without having to read the masthead. Also, the character of the film is
iconic, and plays a huge part in showcasing the film as many people will
be aware that this film is a remake or a sequel, so the character is extremely
important as the target audience would straight away be able to
recognise this character. The
target audience may not have come across the film poster or trailer,
which is fine as the magazine front cover is a form of advertising the
film. I have also included a piece of text informing the target audience
that the front cover is a subscription limited edition cover as my
inspirational front cover did. By looking at the covers side by side
below, you would be able to notice the similarities and differences,
where I have followed codes and conventions as well as
where I have challenged them to suit my work.
Film Poster
The strengths of teaser posters are its ability to put the film in public
interest months before it comes out and leave audiences wanting more.
It also complies very specifically to its set genre which makes it more
likely to pull in it's target audience. Its weaknesses are that they usually are best suited to a successful chain of films including Final Destination, Saw and the Twilight saga. My film poster follows common movie poster codes and conventions such as
the fil ms name, the production company’s name, a tagline, credit
block, general date of release and a key image. They are missing a
actors names and final set date of release. This is because most of
these teaser trailers are released months before the film is due to be
released so they reveal little information to leave audiences to want to
no more. Plus since the posters are released so far in advance, final
changes on the film still need to be made such as age certificate, final
release date etc.
The Tagline
Inspiration for main image
'The Uninvited'
Film Trailer
Throughout the trailer, I have attempted to use conventional mise en scene
elements allowing my audience to understand my chosen sub genre. For example; I have used nightvision throughout the trailer to capture the modern 'found footage' style of filming, eerie and
creepy music has been used to create fear and suspension. This can also be
found in the trailer for 'Grave Encounters' where nightvision is used throughout to doucment the inexplicable horrors. Costume and hair and makeup is also conventional for a supernatural horror as whilst watching a behind the scenes video on youtube on 'Grave Encounters', the special effects team and make-up artists only relied slightly on the make up in order to create the demon like faces, then elaborated on them in editing. I have also followed conventional editing styles
that you are more than likely to see in any film trailer, of any genre. For
example, dead black outs are a familiar edit used that can be seen occurring
regularly in my film trailer. A good example of this that I have
found whilst looking into existing media texts is suring the 'The Roommate' film trailer where a lot of dead black outs have been used for effect and
to show the audience the deaths of each of the creepy roommates victums. This can also be seen in the trailer for 'Scream', whereby each shots shows one more death leading up to the inevitable confrontation with Sidney. I used this particular editing style a lot
as I feel that it is effective in building tension and creating suspense,
therefore creating fear and the shock of whats going to appear next which is one of the main feelings that a horror loving
audience want to get out of viewing a film trailer.
All together now...
All together now...
Having used several
symbiotic links, I feel that my target audience will be able to put all three
together and recognise different elements that they have seen on one or the
other media piece. It also acts as a puzzle, putting two and two together to
see if they belong to the same film which will interest and entice my audience
as they are those who enjoy mystery and have the minds of those who enjoy
having to work things out. Also by using links such as the blank demon like expression for instance in my poster and magazine front cover, it then allows my three pieces to support and complement each other
creating a successful and effective promotional package.
Re-visiting those all important codes and conventions
In
order to gain an understanding of basic codes and conventions of media
texts, I revisited some of the theorists discussed in class and how I
would interpret and adapt these theories within my project. When looking
at genre,
theorist Alastair Fowler (1989) notes that audiences learn what
conventions are associated with genres through “unconscious
familiarisation”. This is the idea that when an audience watch numerous
films that belong to one genre, they tend to spot the conventions used
and then begin to associate them with that type of film. When I was told
that the genre I would be working on was Horror I was quite fearful of
the task ahead as, not being a huge fan of the genre myself, I had to
familiarise myself with a few horror films in order to understand what
makes the genre so successful and what it is required in order to fufill
my target audiences expectations. Horror films have been attracting viewers since
the beginning of cinema. According to some psychiatrists, the modern
horror film serves many of the same functions for the adolescent that
the fairy tale serves for the child, for instance to warn of evil in
familiar places.I delved into the different sub genres of horror, such as
Gothic, Supernatural, Psychological and Slasher; I found myself gaining
an incredible knowledge and great understanding of the uses of codes and
conventions and the norms of the genre. This gave me the confidence
and knowledge I needed to help begin this creative process.
This
of course gave me the knowledge needed to create an entertaining and
professional looking horror trailer and so I stopped imagining what I
would like to see in the Trailer and started focusing on my market
research. I didnt want it to be the case that I produce a Trailer based
on my own wants and not what my target audience wishes to see. I
realised throughout this project that I've gone from being a media
consumer into a media practitioner (from
decoder to encoder).
This
has been particularly true with the decision to cast a female as the
main protagonist. Typically in supernatural horror films, women or young
children are often the protagonists/villains because women were
traditionally represented as the damsels in distress such as
in “Psycho” who were being punished for their sins by men; this
reflected our culture at the time. However with the influence of
feminism and our new ideology of powerful women our modern culture
no longer sees women as victims but as strong women in both hero and
killer characters such as in “Jennifer’s Body”. The horror genre itself
is influenced by what our culture perceives as horrific; war, terrorism,
global issues, political issues all affect what society fears. This has
what has changed the horror genre and why women are represented now no
longer as
the victims but strong, powerful heroes and even killers because women
have more power in society; which is the fear of traditional
anti-feminists.
Using Inspiration and Chanelling Creativity
Evidence
of my inspiration shown through film stills of the trailers "The
Unwanted", "Grave Encounters", "The Roommate", "Sorority Row", "Scream
4" and "Paranormal Activity". In each still I have tried to demonstrate how a particular scene or element of each trailer has influenced me in terms of camera angle used, clothing, speech, straplines, and digital effects.
I
feel that I have challenged codes and conventions in that I have
created a horror film aimed at teenagers and based on teenagers without
the cliches often achieve in the slasher genre. My
inspiration for this idea arose from the films ‘Grave Encounters’ and
'The Roomate'. While they both come from seperate sub-genres, I liked
the idea of combining the supernatural element of trying to capture or
identify ghosts/demons in amateaurish style of filming whilst also
inclusing the slasher and thriller element of an obsessive or disturbed
student who one by one kills their fellow roomates.I loved the idea of a
'film' crew (in Grave Encounters case, a TV crew) actively going into a
particular setting and essentially putting themselves in danger in
order to prove the existense of ghosts/demons. While on the other hand I
also enjoyed the way The Roommate takes an important stage in a young
persons life and completely twists the experience for dramatic effect. I
found these two films both incredibly influential in the development of
my narrative for my trailer.
In
this context, creativity lies within examining existing media texts and
taking inspiration from them in order to create something of your own.
Studying the existing media texts such as “Grave Encounters” and “The
Roommate” helped me to understand what kind of narrative I wanted to
create which was a combination of Teen Slasher meets Supernatural
Horror, as well as the type of aesthetic I was going to use. I knew that
I wanted to film in an actual University in order to make the trailer
look more authentic, this also helped improve the mise-en-scene element
as the narrative appeared more real when put into practise.
The Directors introduction
Grave Encounters
The Unwanted
Establishing the High School/University
Sorority Row
Scream 4
The Roommate
'Media Reports on muders'
Scream 4
Jennifer's Body
Katie entering halls
Killer Roommate
Death in the shower
'Caught on camera' Footage
Unusual Sighting
The Unwanted
Crew Member identifies a ghost/demon
Grave Encounters
The Unwanted
Director's Frustration
Grave Encounters
The Unwanted
Ghost/Demon appears
Grave Encounters
The Unwanted
Footage Strapline
Grave Encounters
The Unwanted
'Stab Ending'
Scream 4
Audience Feedback
My
three media pieces, the ancillary tasks and the trailer combined create
a promotional package. I believe that the poster contains basic
conventions of the genre that an audience can identify with. It is a
successful promotional piece because it targets and attracts the correct
target audience consisting of females in their mid twenties to mid
forties. A symbiotic link between the three texts has been established
through the elements of mise-en-scene such as uses of colour,
costume/hair/make-up and lighting and through similar uses of camera and
editing. This allows the texts to contain continuity and the symbiotic
link enables the audiences to associate the texts with one another.
I
believe I have successfully appealed to my target audiences with each
of my promotional pieces. I conducted post-production research by
creating questionnaires which I distributed over the social networking
website ‘Facebook’. I chose to use this network because it was a quick
and easy way of gathering feedback from my target audience, who were
easy to access and contact.
Looking at audience feedback from the post-production questionnaires will provide us with a truthful and honest account of the audiences’ satisfaction.
Seeing as how media has become an necesity for our day to lives, I wanted to take full advantage of every piece of technology that I could aquire. Not only does having the latest in technology at my disposal benefit my studies and also the production and creation of my film trailer, ancillary tasks and production research. It has enabled us practitioners to
become interactive and immerse ourselves within a technological world
where there really are no limits, where our ideas and fascinations can go live to anywhere in the world in just one click. I happen to find it incredibly resourceful and it has allowed me to develop my skills in many different technologies and educate me on my areas of improvement.
Without
media technology, the research and planning stages of my project truly
could not have been as progressive or as successful. For instance, the
internet made a huge contribution to the progress of my research, thanks
to search engines such as ‘Google’ I was able to access information I
needed in the click of a button and ‘Google Images’ too played a
terrific part in accompanying my writing and decorating my blog with
visual demonstrations and imagery.
I
used websites such as ‘Wikipedia’ to gather information about everything from the history of horror, to numerous film
publications, posters and narratives. I used the video-sharing network
‘YouTube’ to explore and examine film trailers, as well as to help me
select music/ sound for my own trailer. As an avid digital media user, I also relied on social networking websites to help me carry out my post production research which helped me recieve feedback from my target audience and allowed me to communicate them on a personal basis.
The introduction of the Internet, social
media and technological advances has provided another outlet for people to
use and seek gratification through those sources. Based on the models developed
by Katz, Blumler, Gurevitch and Lasswell, individuals can choose to seek out
media in one outlet, all falling within the proscribed categories of need. The
only difference now, is that the audience does not have to go to multiple media
outlets to fulfill each of their needs. The Internet has
created a digital library, allowing individuals to have access to all content
from various mass medium outlets.
Returming to Blogger...
Using
a blog to exhibit my work as part of AS and A2 has helped me to develop
my technological skills. I had always wanted to start a blog based on my own interests and I feel
that this Media Studies course has equipped me with the appropriate
knowledge needed. For instance, I have learnt how to create posts,
upload images and embed videos from ‘YouTube’ as well as create links to
additional websites. It has also made me aware of other blogging websites such as Tumblr which provided me with the majority of my pictures used.
Using
the internet for this process is extremely beneficial and far more
practical than the previous process of using scrap-books and folders to
display work. Not only is it easier and less time consuming but it also
appeals to our age group, in that we as teenagers are increasingly
becoming more and more involved with the technological age. We spend
most of our time on the internet, and so creating blogs allows us to
work within our comfort zone, which I find particularly inspiring and
motivating. Also, I think that having my very own piece of the internet
is very exciting in that it allows me to express my identity through my
creativity and artistic abilities, it lets me exhibit my hard work and
interactivity allows me to share it with others. As I am part of the revolution of digital media within the modern age, I find that I fully understand what it is to be a web 2.0 user.
A few inspirational blogs...
http://oliviasoot.tumblr.com/
http://pastelgrunge.tumblr.com/page/12
http://lulel.tumblr.com/
A few inspirational blogs...
http://oliviasoot.tumblr.com/
http://pastelgrunge.tumblr.com/page/12
http://lulel.tumblr.com/
Editing Programmes
(imovie and Pic Monkey)
After
capturing the images needed for the front cover and the film poster, I
then began work on my acillary tasks using and old favourite of mine;Picnic. Having
become familiar with the editing software during GCSE and the project in
year 12, I would definitely say that it proved much easier to navigate a
third time round. I felt comfortable and confident in using this
programme and I felt that I touched-up my images to perfection. However when it came to adding a few extra touches to my poster and magazine front cover, I was horrified to discover that the website had actually closed down! Stressed and worried, I soon began looking into other photo editing websites which is when im came across Pic Monkey. Also a free of charge website, Pic Monkley offered exactly the same as Picnic and more! It proved aswell incredibly easy to use ad with so many effects and texts to add, I was spoilt for choice!
Continuing
to discuss editing programmes, this year we were introduced to Adobe
Premier Pro, which is editing software of moving media. Due to several technical setbacks I decided to look at other options for editing. A classmate of mine suggested imovie as they had used it in another project and found it incredibly helpful and simple to use. Having never used a mac before, it was a learning curve trying to navigate my way around the design and the different softwares at my disposal, I then asked a friend of mine who had just recently graduated with a degree in media and film to teach me how to use the imovie. After a couple of hours I had felt much more confident and was fully prepared for editing.
The next Spielberg?
During
the creation process, I used a video camera and my own Casio Exilim camera to film and take pictures of the scenes that
would be used in the film trailer. Before filming I had my reservations about the project as I really didnt know anything about filming and the organisation and eye for creativity it required. However, I am happy to say that I found it incredibly enjoyable, fun and a new interest into the world of film. Being a film enthusiast I had always been an appreciated member of the audience, but after this project I will now be able to fully emmerse myself in the different genres and be able to undersatnd what is required and the dedication that is needed. I have always been a creative person with a passion and love of the media, so having the chance to display my creation is quite an achievement for me. In my spare time I like to watch film trailers, to view all the latest releases and to relish in the creativity of the people who produce them. Having never really produced a movie or video for that matter, I found the project incredibly rewarding and definitely hope to produce something like this again. Except maybe not in horror!
To Conclude...
In
conclusion, I have used, developed and challenged forms of media
products in order to construct my own and I feel that I have created a
symbiotic link between the three texts, resulting in an effective
promotional package. My audience feedback gave me the satisfaction I had
hoped for, as well as the constructive criticism I needed in order to
learn from my mistakes. The access to the World Wide Web has taught me
so much and has aided me through this entire project; thanks to advanced
media technologies of the modern day I was able to bring my creative
ideas to life.
Over
all I have found the coursework provided in year 13 an extremely
exciting and rewarding. It required alot of energy, passion and creativity in order to produce a visually
stimulating and informative blog as well as a successful, professional and
effective promotional package for the target audience. Although at times
the pressure of deadlines and stresses of workloads were tough, I am
proud to say that I managed to complete it with a great sense of satifaction and pride.
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