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

A2 EVALUATIONSHAUN LIDDLE

When planning my media product, I made sure I properly analysed many different horror trailers to get different ideas to use on my project. By doing this I have used many different conventions in my

horror trailer which are included in these trailers. As well as using some of these horror conventions, I have also broken some horror conventions. In my

horror trailer the killer is a female, this isn’t usually the typical case with horror trailers as men are

usually the killers because of strong and dominant connotations, this results in my horror trailer

breaking typical horror conventions.

I have also broken horror conventions as I decided to use normal teenage costumes, rather

than using typical dark, horror style costumes. This however still relates to the audience as the target audience are mainly teenagers. This also gives a sense of unexpectedness as the killer is not exactly highlighted throughout the start of

my horror trailer.Use of normal teenage costumes.

My project however also uses typical horror conventions as it relates to Roland Barthe’s theory. Codes such as connotation, denotation and action

are used. Representation of the genre is repeatedly highlighted throughout my horror trailer, for

example, costume and make-up such as blood and locations such as abandoned buildings are denoted within my horror trailer, which connotes the genre of horror. This supports Barthe’s theory of symbolic

and semic codes.

Throughout my media product I manage to apply Todorov’s narrative structure theory to my work,

(equilibrium, disruption, recognition of disruption, attempt to repair disruption and new equilibrium),

however his theory is also to a certain degree challenged. For example, my trailer involves the

step of disruption twice, as disruption occurs when the character is drugged and accidentally killed and

disruption also occurs when the character comes back for her revenge. This shows I have challenged

typical horror conventions when producing my horror trailer.

Vladimir Propp’s theory is somewhat of use; however this is also challenged as all of the

character types are not included. For example, Propp says they are generally different types of

characters within films such as, the hero, the villain, the helper, the donor and the princess. My horror trailer manages to challenge Propp’s theory

as only one of these stereotypical characters is used. With my trailer having the genre of horror it

is evident that the villain (the killer) will be included within my horror trailer. As a result this manages to challenge typical horror conventions.

Overall...I manage to use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products within

my A2 coursework production.