Evaluation Q1In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The Characters

My teaser trailer is a comedy-action-adventure, and it conforms to many conventions, mainly of the comedy genre, but also the action and adventure genre. At the same time, it also subverts from these conventions, with unique scenes to my trailer in particular.

The three main characters in many ways conform to the structure of main characters in other comedies; each one is unique with relatable characteristics, appearances, hobbies etc for different audiences. This enables the viewers to have their own favourite character, which is likely to be different than their friends’ favourite characters. Conforming to the way the main characters are portrayed in many comedies, my three main characters are all social outcasts – they each have their own way of not fitting in and are the “trio of misfits” as the narration in my trailer explains. Winston is overly posh in comparison to the average person his age, he is also very clumsy and nervous, which suggests a lack of confidence; something unpopular with many people, and a weak spot to pick on. Chester acts tough but is really “a big softy”, which is apparent to everyone around him, so the use of slang and threats of fights look ridiculous, causing no one to take him seriously. Loco is, as his name states, pretty crazy; his quirkiness and lack of common sense leave him out of step with the average person, and most people are too confused and ‘weirded-out’ by him to get close to him – other than Winston and Chester. The group are almost ‘thrown together’ all because they don’t fit in with any other social group, which is very common amongst comedies.

Characters’ Costumes

A common convention of the comedy genre is to suggest and connote what kind of person each character is through their appearance and clothing. This was something I had planned to do from the start. It’s an easy way to set the scene and establish who the characters are without needing to go into too much detail. My characters’ appearances support the short introductions of each character in my trailer, creating a stronger story behind the characters, and possibly establishing a connection between the audience and the characters, as they may feel they know the characters somewhat.

Winston’s smart clothing, along with his accent, emphasises that he has had a posh upbringing, therefore the trailer doesn’t need to go into detail about this area, and can instead show his clumsiness and lack of confidence around people – girls in particular. Chester’s casual attire of a hoody with the hood mostly up, baggy jeans and trainers supports his ‘tough’ appearance along with his introduction; and Loco wears a cowboy hat and garlic garland for no apparent reason other than the fact that he is crazy, which only goes to support his rather odd introduction.

Characters’ Identities

Each of my characters’ identities aren’t particularly unusual for comedies, and my trailer conforms to the structure that many comedies use for establishing the characters’ identities and personalities. Unintentionally, the structure of my characters is similar to The Inbetweeners; there’s the seemingly normal one with a few quirky elements (in my case it’s Winston, who’s quirky elements consist of his posh appearance and accent and his clumsiness); there’s the one that acts all tough and menacing in public, but at home he’s “a big softy” (Chester); and then there’s the crazy one that no one ever really understands (Loco).

The first shots that I used on the introduction for each character was a technique that I haven’t seen many Directors use, and this could be considered a subversion, as I haven’t seen many films, let alone comedies, that have used my technique. I used high-angle tracking shots of each characters’ shoes as they walked, before each of the characters’ introductions; this was for the audience to immediately establish some idea of who the characters are. The smart shoes and smart black trousers that preceded Winston’s introduction should have given the impression that this character is posh and well-spoken; the baggy trainers and jeans shown before Chester’s intro should have informed the audience that this character is a ‘chav’; and the odd shoes preceding Loco’s intro should have give the impression that this is the mad character of the trio.

Themes and Messages

My trailer’s main theme is alcohol (beer, in particular), which is a common convention of comedies, as consumption of alcohol can sometimes result in hilarious events. A subversion from this perhaps with my trailer however, is that the story is not about events following the consumption of alcohol, but the pursuit of beer. The characters have never had alcohol before, and as they are all 17 years old, acquiring alcohol is not an easy task. However when the world’s beer supply runs dry, this task becomes a whole lot harder, and the story becomes a search for the last remaining crate of beer for humankind. The trailer only contains one shot of a pint of beer, which is the opening shot, and none of the characters are ever seen with beer; whereas a common convention of comedies is to show the characters consuming alcohol, and some of the events following this are also teased; however my trailer is all about the search for beer.

One of the main messages in my trailer, continuing from the subversion of the search for beer rather than the consumption, is easy for the target audience to relate to; if you’re not 18, it can sometimes be difficult to get alcohol, and this is greatly exaggerated through the search for the last crate of beer for humankind.

A common convention of comedy trailers (and action-adventure trailers) is to show the characters in their normal lives, and my trailer conforms to this with the scene of the trio lazing around on a sofa, watching TV – a relatable message for many teenagers.