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.
For instance, the front cover of my film magazine adopts the basic magazine structure by including a masthead that reads the publications title, “Playhouse”,
a main image of the female protagonist who stars in the film being promoted and a main sell-line that reads the actresses name “Val Vixen on forties glamour, fight scenes and finding her feet in a new role”. The front cover also includes additional sell-lines that read “Screen Sirens, the foxiest females on film” beside lists of actors/ actresses that have been interviewed and films that feature in this issue. Not to forget the inclusion of a banner (present for decoration) and the barcode on the front cover (present for practicality).
a main image of the female protagonist who stars in the film being promoted and a main sell-line that reads the actresses name “Val Vixen on forties glamour, fight scenes and finding her feet in a new role”. The front cover also includes additional sell-lines that read “Screen Sirens, the foxiest females on film” beside lists of actors/ actresses that have been interviewed and films that feature in this issue. Not to forget the inclusion of a banner (present for decoration) and the barcode on the front cover (present for practicality).
The film poster contains codes and conventions of media texts of its kind, as it includes a main image that dominates the page (a close-up shot of the films protagonist, Evelyn), a large piece of text stating the film title: “The Affliction of Evelyn” and the tagline which reads “Plagued by Pain. Redeemed by Revenge”. Of course, unlike magazines, there are fewer aspects that need to be included on a film poster, in order to achieve an authentic and successful poster one must keep the layout and organisation to a minimal (only including an image, the film title and short description of the film narrative), revealing as much information needed simply to tease and entice the audience.
The film trailer follows the basic narrative structure which includes an introduction to the plots ‘equilibrium’ for instance here we see the protagonist Evelyn move into her new home hoping to start a new life. This is followed by the ‘disruption’ in which we see Evelyn experience ghostly nightmares and visits from the spirit of a young girl. The ‘reaction’ stage then follows, featuring a series of non-sequential clips as part of a montage displaying Evelyn discovering more about the house, making arrangements to hunt down the murderer and even coming face to face with the antagonist.
Up until this stage, I have followed Theorist Todorov’s film structure that includes an Equilibrium, Disruption and Reaction. However, the remaining stages which include Repair and the New Equilibrium are ofcourse, not shown in the film trailer because it would reveal the entire narrative. The purpose of the film trailer structure is to tease the audiences, not to expose the entire plot and so this particular structure must be followed.
Thus, I have followed codes and conventions of existing texts to ensure that my products are recognisable to the target audience and meet their expectations. I also used strap-lines and a soundtrack to accompany the video clips; they are present to aid audience understanding of the narrative as well as to enhance levels of entertainment and excitement.
Getting into the swing of things...
In order to gain an understanding of basic codes and conventions of media texts, one must become familiar with them. 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 we would be focusing on was Horror, being the dedicated student that I am, I spent my summer watching horror films literally every day. 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 ofcourse gave me the knowledge needed to create an effective and authentic looking horror trailer and so I took myself out of the audience equation and into the shoes of the media practitioner (from decoder to encoder).
Later on in the project I decided to introduce the idea of setting my film in a by-gone era. Becoming familiar with the appropriate codes and conventions was not difficult considering my intense interest in period/retro films. In order to prepare myself fully for this project, I watched numerous horror films and period films whilst also researching and studying the narrative structure of their trailers, film posters and those featured on magazines.
Using inspiration and channelling creativity
I feel that I have challenged codes and conventions in that I have created a supernatural horror that is set during the 1940’s. My inspiration for this idea arose from the film ‘Changeling’ as it is a graphic drama set in the 1920’s about a little boy who was part of a kidnapping and murder. The plot follows the anguish and determination of the mother’s pursuit for her son. The plot of the film is quite blue and depressing, which is unusual, in that films set in this decade don’t usually contain such horrific narratives. I found this aspect extremely creative and I knew I wanted to create something of a similar taste.
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 “Changeling” and “What lies Beneath” helped me to understand what kind of narrative I wanted to create which was a combination of Period Drama meets Supernatural Horror, as well as the type of aesthetic I was going to use. I fell in love with the mise-en-scene elements of the film “Changeling” and admired the enigma found in “What Lies Beneath”. I knew I had to create a film trailer that presented audiences with a hauntingly beautiful apparition of a 1940’s Britain, partnered with a supernatural enigma.
Evidence of my inspiration shown through film stills of the trailers "The Affliction of Evelyn", "What Lies Beneath" and "Changeling".
Search/ discovery of information
Search/ discovery of information
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"What Lies Beneath"
Introducing the protagonist's home
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"What Lies Beneath"
The Mirror Scene
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"Changeling"
Introducing the protagonist's home
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"What Lies Beneath"
The Mirror Scene
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"What Lies Beneath"
My inspiration for the magazine idea arose from this issue of ‘Empire’ and ‘Total Film’ both of which feature actress Megan Fox. I had contemplated the target audience of my magazine for a while, considering all but a male audience simply because this type of audience would not be interested in my film. I came to the conclusion that I had to follow conventions of film magazines and stick with a male orientated readership and find a way to make the film appeal to them.
Inspired by the likes of Megan Fox, I then decided that instead of using the magazine to promote the film, I would use the actress as the main promotional tool. I did this by objectifying the sex appeal of the actress, displaying her to be a ‘sexual icon’ in order to make the magazine more attractive to men. I find this technique of promotion creative and an extremely intelligent method of advertising in that it manipulates audiences into purchasing a magazine simply because they take an interest in the female on the front cover.
Sexing-up the "getting ready" scene...
Sexing-up the "getting ready" scene...
"The Affliction of Evelyn"
"Jennifer's Body"
As I become more involved in the subject of Media Studies I find myself becoming increasingly aware of the ways in which the media exploit women in order to sell products. Being a bit of a feminist, I ofcourse detest this regime and disagree with it, however, my duty was to turn myself into a media practitioner and in this case I could not fight against or challenge the ‘norm’, instead I decided to manipulate it, and use it to my advantage.
Above I discussed two examples of when I followed and challenged codes and conventions of the genre. Many theorists argue that in order to produce a creative and successful piece of media, the practitioner must understand the importance of following convention, as well as be able to introduce elements of originality. However, theorists Cook and Bernink note that overuse of conventions results in personal expression of the artists’ creativity as being lost. So I was sure to follow this method of following yet challenging in order to create an effective and successful piece.
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.
The Film Poster
Quotes
Areas that were praised
Areas for improvement
The Front Cover
The Trailer
Media Technologies
As a media student of modern times, I am extremely grateful for the advances in technology and the ways in which it benefits not only my learning, but my production also. It has enabled us practitioners to become interactive and immerse ourselves within a technological world where there really are no limits, where our creations can literally come to life in a professional and authentic fashion.
Catching our ideas and dreams...
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 acquire a great deal of knowledge and investigate 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. During the stages of research I too stumbled across other people’s blogs, which were truly inspiring through decorative designs and image sharing as well as informative through content, thus aiding my knowledge and motivating me throughout my project.
Another form of media technology which was used during the research and planning stage was my digital SLR camera. I used this to take shots of my locations (The external and internal shots of the house, the fields) as well as the settings (the bedroom, the barracks, the gardens). I also used the camera to capture images for the mise-en-scene elements. For instance, I photographed my actors dressed in authentic 1940’s attire accompanied by appropriate hair and make-styles that were similar of the day. I also used the camera to photograph suitable props (including vintage crockery sets, black and white framed photographs, an early 1900’s mannequin, ornaments and 1940’s telephone).
(Show location shots taken before hand, show then on the trailer)
(Show mise-en-scene elements taken beforehand, show on trailer)
The SLR camera captured the final images that would be used for the magazine front cover and the film poster. As well as used on-set or behind-the-scenes during the filming of the film trailer. I would say that this project has definitely helped me to develop my photography skills and has helped my learn how to use my professional camera properly.
Discovering a new talent...
During the creation process, I used a video camera to film the scenes that would be used in the film trailer. I found this a particularly enriching experience as I felt I had discovered a new passion – filming and directing! I am an extremely creative person and have always had an admiration and an eye for photography (which I feel I have used to my advantage and have successfully integrated into this project). I had never had any experience with moving media before, but after getting my hands on the video camera I soon learnt that I had a natural talent for it, and so I found the process inspiring, extremely enjoyable and one that intend to embark upon again!
Blogging blogging blogging!
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 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.
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.
Editing Programmes
(Adobe Photoshop and Premier Pro)
After capturing the images needed for the front cover and the film poster, I then welcomed back an old friend into my life: Adobe Photoshop. 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.
(show an image of before and after)
Continuing to discuss editing programmes, this year we were introduced to Adobe Premier Pro, which is editing software of moving media. At first I’ll admit I found it a little difficult to grasp, but with help from my teachers and peers I got into the swing of it and can confidently add it to my list of developed skills.
A final note
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 enriching process. I channelled absolutely all of my energy, passion and creativity in order to produce a visually stimulating and informative blog as well as a successful, authentic 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 sailed through and I am quite sad that my final media studies project has now come to a close.
