A2 Media Evaluation

1. Sophie Coley
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT USE,
DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE
FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF
REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS ?

2. For our A2 coursework we created a film trailer, magazine front cover and poster. The
genre we chose for our products was crime/thriller.

3. MAGAZINE
To create our magazine we took
inspiration from two different Empire
magazine covers. We combined the
convention of a close up as seen in the
‘Tron Legacy’ version of the cover and
the depth of the background image in
the ‘Inception’ version.
1) As we based our magazine off of
Empire Magazine we recreated the
Empire Masthead for on our magazine.
Empire is a very well known film
magazine and has various different
genres of films on the cover meaning
our own film will fit in with the
magazine. As it is well known we placed
part of our main image over the logo
similar to the ‘Inception’ cover.
Tron Legacy Inception Our magazine- Voices
2) The background of our magazine cover is of flats/buildings within the distance. This
fits in with the two magazines we used as inspiration and the codes and conventions of
film magazines. It gives the magazine cover depth and also establishes the location of
where our trailer is set.
3) Our magazine also has the
barcode, price and release date
linking it to the conventions of
existing magazines.
4) The straplines and content of
the magazine has been laid out
to the left side of the image. It
shows the audience clearly what
is included within the magazine
even when it is placed on a news
stand.
5) The title of our film is
included on the front
cover. It takes up more
space on the page
compared to the other
pieces of text similarly to
the existing magazines.
Also by having this piece
of text the largest it shows
the audience that our film
will be the main feature
within the magazine.
6) The image used on the
magazine is of one of the main
characters within the trailer. The
photograph is a close up and is
similar to the image used on the
‘Tron Legacy’ magazine. It has
also been edited to look darker in
order to fit in with our genre and
the darkness within our trailer.
Also the darkness of the image
gives it an air of suspense linking
to the conventions of our genre.
7) The colour scheme of the
magazine is similar to the
ones we used as templates.
We continuously used red,
black and white to make the
text stand out on the page
and to keep with the house
style of the magazine
‘Empire’ We have also kept
with these colours on the
poster and within the trailer.

4. POSTER
To create our film poster we took inspiration
from several different film posters but especially
from the ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ and
the ‘Act of Valour’ posters. We combined the
silhouette idea from the ‘Act of Valour’ poster
and the convention of using a
Master/Establishing shot from the ‘Harry Potter’
poster.
2) The main image on our poster is the 5 main characters within the trailer
made to look like silhouettes. The original image was a long shot and a
master/establishing shot in order for the audience to see the whole of each
character. We based this idea off of the ‘Act of Valour’ film poster as we
thought it would create mystery and suspense towards our trailer.
1) The poster includes the information all the cast
and production team as this is a main convention
of film posters. By adding this our poster looks
more professional. Also this key information will
engage and persuade the audience towards the
film if they like a certain actor, director or producer.
3) The title of our film
‘Voices’ is in capitals and is
written in the same font as
on our trailer and magazine
front cover. It is bold and
black and stands out against
the black background. It
follows the conventions of
the title being near the
bottom of the poster making
it look more professional.
4) The release date
of the film is placed
underneath the title
of the film. This is a
convention of typical
film posters and
makes ours look real
and professional. It
also links to the
release date placed
within our trailer.
5) There is not
strapline on our
poster as we felt
it added to the
mystery of our
film by not
including one.
6) The background of out poster is a mug shot
background which links to the crime aspect of
our trailer. We decided to go against the posters
we were using an inspiration and chose a
background without depth. It links well with how
the silhouettes are placed on the poster.
7) We have kept our colour scheme to black and
white. This creates an air of mystery as the
characters are not seen and it keeps the
audience guessing as to the way our plot will be
revealed.
Harry Potter Act of Valour Our Poster- Voices

5. TRAILER
Murder by Numbers Trailer Our Trailer- Voices
To create our trailer we took inspiration from the ‘Murder by Numbers’ trailer. It has a similar
plot line and many of the shots used within the trailer we have used in ours. We also took
inspiration for our plot line from a film called The Hole.

6. TRAILER CONTINUED…
The first shot in our trailer is an establishing shot of the
main location in where the majority of our film is shot.
Although, this is a convention of typical film trailers, we
were inspired by the Murder by Numbers trailer where an
establishing shot of the house is used as their first shot.
We used this shot in Voices as it is stereotypical of people
who live in this type of area to be up to no good similar to
the characters within our trailer.
At the very start of our trailer we included the logo of our
production company ‘Castle Rock Entertainment’. We used the
same production company as Murder by Numbers as we were
producing a trailer with the same genre and a similar plot line. In
our original trailer we did not include this information and when
given feedback our audience said that we should include this. In
turn this made our trailer look professional and more like a real
trailer. Including the production company’s information at the
beginning of the trailer is a convention of typical film trailers not
only in our genre but in general.
We also included the information at end of our trailer about our
production companies, Warner Bros and Castle Rock
Entertainment. We placed both of their logos on the last intertitle
along with our title and release date. This is similar to the Murder
by Numbers trailer, however they include this information against
a shot rather than a plain background, and fits in with the
conventions of a film trailer.

7. TRAILER CONTINUED…
Within the ‘build up’ section of our trailer we have
introduced all five of our main characters. This will
allow the audience to know exactly who the trailer and
the film will focus on. This is similar to the Murder by
Numbers trailer we used as inspiration as within that
trailer the three main characters are also introduced
during their ‘build up’ section of the trailer.
This is a typical convention of all film trailers as it
allows the audience to already get to know the
characters within the film and which characters the
plot line will revolve around the most.
Although in some of our beginning shots not all the
characters are present, we have included an individual
shot of each character a bit later on in the ‘build up’
part of the trailer in order to reinforce to the audience
that these characters are the main characters and are
heavily involved in the plot line for our trailer.
Individual shots of the characters within the trailer.

8. TRAILER CONTINUED…
We have used several intertitles within our trailer. These are
used in order to give clues to the audience about our plot line
in between some of our shots. It gives a good idea of what the
audience should expect from our trailer and what the
characters may be getting involved in. Although, it gives away
some of the plot line, it doesn’t give away to much to the
audience, making them want to go and see the film. The
majority of our intertitles are quite short and snappy similar to
the Murder by Numbers trailer and generic trailers.
The title of our film is shown at the very end of our trailer and
forms the last intertitle within the trailer. Compared to the
Murder by Numbers trailer this is different as their title comes
before a couple more shots and then the trailer ends. However,
this does fit in with the conventions of a typical trailer as many
place the title at the end of a trailer, similar to what we have
done.

9. TRAILER CONTINUED…
We were inspired by the Murder by Numbers trailer to use an
extreme close up of one of the characters eyes. By using this
shot it creates an air of suspicion and mystery as the audience
don’t know what the character is looking at and why they are
gasping and widening their eyes. Also this shot is quite random
within in the trailer so again creates mystery within the trailer
and intrigues the audience to think about what this might link
and lead to.
We were also inspired by this shot of the two main
characters, in the Murder by Numbers trailer, sitting with
their backs to the camera. We liked the idea of doing this
with our characters as it gives the audience a good
understanding of the setting within the film and the
relationship between the characters in the shot. The
framing of the shot enhances this understanding for the
audience.

10. TRAILER CONTINUED…
We have a couple of shots within our trailer
that act as clues. This is typical of
crime/thriller trailers as the audience
cannot understand the relevance of the
shots and makes them want to see the
movie to find out why they are there.
Both of the shots are extreme close ups
similar to the ones used with the Murder by
Numbers trailer. This highlights their
significance within not only the trailer but in
the film as well.

11. TRAILER CONTINUED…
We liked the way in which parts of the Murder by
Numbers trailer were edited. We used a similar
transition which faded the shot into black. This makes
the trailer transition between shots smoothly. It also
gives the suggestion of the passing of time and
creates a sense of mystery and suspicion. This is a
generic convention within many crime/thriller trailers.
One way in which we subverted against the conventions of a film trailer was the use of soundtrack. We decided to add two
different soundtracks into our trailer. One of them was slower in pace and built suspension and mystery whereas the second
soundtrack is more fast paced. This was the main reason we added two soundtracks to our trailer as it helped us fasten the
pace of the trailer.

12. OTHER CONVENTIONS IN OUR TRAILER
In our trailer we edited the majority of the clips in
order for them to look darker. We added an effect to
them called ‘Alpha Adjust’. We wanted to make the
shots seem darker in order to fit in with the
conventions of a typical crime/thriller film as many of
these types of films are quite dark. By adding this it
adds mystery and suspicion to some of the shots are
some of the characters are difficult to make out and
identify who they are.
When filming our trailer, we made sure that all the actors within it were using black or dark clothing. This is because
it would fit in with the conventions of crime trailers as many of the characters wear dark colours to disguise
themselves and to stay hidden so they are not caught.
We also asked some of the actors to wear black masks. This again allows the characters to stay hidden and keep
their identity a secret from the police. By using the masks we were conforming to the typical conventions of crime
films as many characters within these types of films use masks as a way to hide their identify and escape from the
police.