DIABOLUS Trailer

In What Ways Do My Media Products Use, Develop Or Challenge Forms And Conventions Of Real Media Products?

When people go to see a Horror film, there are certain things that they expect to see just because they know the genre it belongs to. These are called codes and conventions and are used to connote certain things to an audience that is well acquainted with films in general; this is typical for most people as we live in a media saturated society. The conventions traditionally found within Horror revolve around 4 main areas: settings, technical code, iconography&themes, and character types.

The settings are usually small communities or secluded places, which offer more opportunities for a sense of either secret harbouring or isolation. Usually it will be places that have a 'past', for example abandoned houses and asylums, or houses with different levels as psychologists say that the different levels show our primitive instincts (basements) and our repressed terrors (attics). Also very common are religious or medical institutions. Finally, the most common setting point to make is that the scariest things in Horror happen at night. My media product uses the typical Horror convention of isolated locations to reinforce Chris's desperation and helplessness. The warehouses/barn also fit the abandoned setting idea although the story doesn't focus on the locations past.

Technical code in Horror is all about the shots and editing. Often the camera work is expressive rather than natural looking and the use of high and low angles connotes unrest and disruption of everyday occurrences.  In the same sort of way, canted angles are used to create disorientation. There is always a wide range of shot lengths, often edited so there is a sudden jump to surprise the audience. Extreme close-up of the protagonists as reaction shots help the audience identify with their fear; however extreme close-ups are also used with the monster in them to make the audience feel their own personal safety is at risk. Sound and overall editing is used to create suspense and make watchers feel as if it could be their own heart beating so loudly etc. We specifically tried to perpetuate traditional forms and conventions of the genre with our camera work and editing as we felt that is what sets it apart from other film genres the most. Examples of where we stuck to these are the high angled shots of Chris running through the barn, the slightly canted angles of some shots and reaction shots of Chris which should have worked as 'killer shots' with the audio. Something I feel would have looked better, is if we could have shot certain parts at night. I don't think this was us trying to subvert the stereotypical night time found in Horror, but more us being too scared to hang out in scary places at night.

Iconography within Horror is usually the first few obvious things people think of when they're asked what has to be included in a Horror film. Things like the colours black and red are clear as they connote darkness, evil and blood. Expressive use of lighting is used to create interesting, unfamiliar shadows and this lighting often comes from unexpected places. Iconic props that are often used in Horror in general are things like bladed weapons, blood, masks and religious objects. However, in satanic Horror specifically which is DIABOLUS's sub-genre, there is often more particular iconography such as candles, crystals, and pagan and satanic symbols. We tried to included props specific to the satanic sub-genre and this is one of the things we received positive feedback about. I think we managed to use the conventions of iconography well in DIABOLUS despite the lack of interesting lighting. We also have lots of blood and a sharp weapon included in our trailer which help reinforce the genre of DIABOLUS.

Themes which often crop up in horror include the return of the repressed, the hidden evil inside, science out of control, the after life and binary oppositions such as natural/unnatural, good/evil and known/unknown. Our trailer fits the majority of popular binary oppositions e.g. good/evil, strength/weakness, control/lack of control but could also show a opposition of male/female power and how expectations of gender are not always lived up to.

The main character type in Horror is often along the lines of the main protagonist being the 'victim turned hero' and if it's a girl, usually they fit Carol Clovers 'Final Girl Theory' whereby an androgynous, virginal girl protagonist gets away from the monster because she fits conservative ideals. The immoral and stupid teenagers get killed instead. This is where DIABOLUS subverts the typical forms and conventions of real media products as not only is there a girl playing the monster but I don't fit any of the stereotypical images of a woman in horror as I'm not there to serve as someone to be saved or a love interest, but rather a person who tried to help Chris and ended up intercepting the demon instead. In fact, the idea that the medium is female doesn't seem to count at all towards the trailer apart from the fact it is unsettling for the audience to not have a typical character as the antagonist. I guess some people could interpret the fact that the medium got possessed in the first place could be because she doesn't appear conservative, but I think a more important idea to take away from our subversion of typical character and gender roles in the trailer is that women can be just as powerful and dangerous as men.

In conclusion, I think we managed to convey traditional forms and conventions of Horror in order to make the genre identifiable whilst still creating subversions to shock the audience to wonder why they are confused at a woman not being the helpless one. It's important to have a wider variety of gender representations, as everyone is so immersed in the media that the constant stream of stereotypes has an actual influence on peoples behaviour and beliefs.

How Did I Use Media Technology In The Construction, Research, Planning And Evaluation Stages?

Media technology is updating across the world constantly, meaning people who previously would be limited to unprofessional looking products, now have the resources to both research and create well polished work that can be used to make a profit. I used many aspects of media technology in the creation of the DIABOLUS trailer.

Research:
The first element of media technology that I used in order to research what makes a good Horror trailer, and the genre in general, was a computer and specifically, the Internet. I used this in nearly every stage of my research, from watching real trailers on Youtube so I could analyse them, to looking up fake blood recipes on Google. Not only this but I used the website Survey Monkey to create a questionnaire for the target audience of DIABOLUS. Once you create the questionnaire, you send the link to your audience who then fill it in, click enter and you have the results on the site along with options to view the answers as tables etc. During the research stage I also watched Horror films such as 'Let The Right One In' and 'House Of Wax' which I then analysed to figure out the codes and conventions of the genre they followed/challenged. I used Google to look at magazine covers and posters so that I could create my own realistic ancillary texts.

Planning:
After research, we started planning our trailer and although much of this was on paper, using the knowledge we learnt from researching the horror genre and how to put together a trailer, we still used media technology in some places. A good example of this is how I used this website Blogger in order to present the work we did at every stage. Online blogs are a good example of how media technology has progressed because it is so easy to link together anything you want to on the web via Blogger. Instead of uploading a whole video yourself, you can upload it to Youtube, from which you can embed the video instead. I did this by opening a video in youtube, copying the embed link (shown above) and pasting it into the HTML editing section on my blog post. It made showing examples of real trailers very easy without having a unattractive hyperlink URL in the middle of a post. In this way, I also uploaded Power-Points to a Website called Slideshare, and embedded them onto this blog too.

During this time, our group went on a recce of the locations we wanted to film in, and we used digital cameras to take pictures of places we thought would make interesting shots. In this way, we were able to see how different angles would look without having to bring along a film camera and tripod.

Construction:
This stage was split into two main parts: the collections of the footage and photographs, and the editing. In order to film our trailer we used a Panasonic HD Film Camera that to be honest, apart from pressing record, we didn't mess around with settings wise. The flip screen was useful in some parts of filming though, e.g. when Chris had to walk with the camera- the adjustable screen meant he could see where he was shooting. Again, for the photographs on our poster and magazine covers we used a digital camera.

When it came to editing, there were two main programmes we used: Adobe Premier Pro and Photoshop. Premier Pro is a video editing programme that allows you to import all your footage and then load certain shots onto the timeline meaning that you constantly have easy access to the next shot. The layout of it, with multiple screens, makes it simpler for the editor to synchronise up shots for smooth match-on action that creates realism within your product. When we decided where we would like the cut, we used either the razor  tool to completely cut the footage into two or another option which allowed us to hide the extra footage either side of the in and out points, so that if we want to slightly change the cut at a later date we could do so without having to move the original footage over. This saved us time later on when we had already completed colour editing etc. After we finished the image editing, we went through and systematically removed the surplus audio to create a more professional product. Once this was done, we used the internet to find copywrite-free music and foley sounds which we downloaded and put onto the timeline to create a soundtrack. An advantage of Premier pro is that it has several audio track spaces, meaning you can layer them and have more than one piece of audio occurring at once. You can also do this with video footage which is what we did when Chris wakes up near the start- there is a second edited layer of footage superimposed over the first with the opacity turned down which creates a disorientated look. After we finished the sound, we went through and used the editing options on Premier Pro to colour edit the shots to make them darker and more atmospheric.  Lastly, we rendered and converted the whole video into a file that could be uploaded to Youtube.

In order to turn the pictures I took into a poster and magazine cover, I used Photoshop which allowed me to manipulate the actual image and layer shapes and text over the top of this to create the finished products. On the original picture of me, firstly I carried out colour editing to make my skin whiter, and the contrast more effective. Then I began to edit my eye colour to create a milky colour to show the possession that had taken place. I did this by selecting my iris with the Quick Selection Tool and then playing around with the colour of it. After this, I used the Brush Tool and Smudge Tool to smooth the edges so it didn't look as fake. After this I used the Type and Shape Tools to add on the elements of a poster and a magazine cover.

Evaluation:
For this, there wasn't much media technology to be used that hasn't been previously mentioned, e.g. Blogger, but I also used Microsoft Word and a projector to show my peers the DIABOLUS trailer.

In conclusion, I think it's fair to say that the development of media technology is crucial to saving time and money for everyone, in every stage of creating a media product. Especially useful for pro-sumers is the Internet during the research stage. Essentially, development within the media world has opened up access to many people who previously would have found it much harder to create their own media product, e.g. a film trailer. Not only is it good for people learning about the media, but also for real independent producers who can make products with a minimum budget and release it online.

How Effective Is The Combination Of My Main Product And Ancillary Texts?

Poster for the film 'The Possession'
which had a successful advertising
campaign and made $17,732,480 in
the USA on it's opening weekend.

In the lead up to a film being released, the producers have to make sure that the target audience are aware that it exists otherwise they won't go see it in cinemas. The major part of this is advertising, as through the use of trailers, posters, and magazine interviews/mentions, it gets the word out about the film and makes the audience anticipate its release. Not only does the media product itself have to be worthy to gain success, but the advertising is just as crucial to the overall profit and reception. A good example of this is the advertising leading up to the release of the film "The Possession" (2012). It not only released the trailer, it was advertised through internet banners, posters, and in magazines. The repeated image, of a hand crawling up her throat and over her face which is seen both the poster and trailer uses a killer shot and recognisable image to surprise and shock the audience into wanting to see more.



Not only do you have to advertise through as many media platforms as possible, you also have to make sure your adverts are easily identifiable and that there is continuity running through all of the media products. This creates an image for audience members to remember the film by and adds professionalism to your advertising campaign. Often, if you change the house style, you will be subverting the stereotypical aesthetics of Horror: this isn't very effective when it comes to advertising because it may confuse the audience as to the genre of the film. Ways that I made sure to keep continuity through all my media products was to stick to the same main colours (Black, white and red, which are not only bold colours stand out and attract attention, but they also connote darkness and bloodshed which represents the typical codes and conventions of Horror films.), use the same font to write 'DIABOLUS' on both the magazine cover and poster, and to use images that were shot in the locations we filmed in, with the same make-up and actors.

The need to create an image for the audience to remember is crucial in how well the film does. By creating something iconic that will stick in their minds, they are more likely to be enthusiastic about seeing the film when it is released. It also makes sure the Unique Selling Point is reinforced and understood by the audience which means people feel they will miss out on something exclusive and unseen before if they don't see it in the cinema. This is especially relevant in current times when internet piracy is more and more common, film makers and advertisers have to lure the teenage audience into the screenings with promises of something new and individual or they will just watch it online at a later date for free. I think the three media products (trailer, poster and magazine cover) offer something new for audiences as not often are they presented with a female antagonist. Also, it plays on natural fears people have of losing control of their own body and being punished essentially when they haven't even done anything wrong, which is reinforced through the idea of Chris being a completely average teenager before this point. In recent times, gore-nography has taken over horror films, which although gross and horrific to watch, doesn't necessarily scare the audiences in the same way something satanic or paranormal would.

Overall, I think the combination of my main product and ancillary texts was successful as they look like the belong to the same advertising campaign and reinforces it's unique selling point of an antagonist who is female and doesn't adhere to gender roles generally applied in movies. I think this is aided by the use of the same picture on the poster and magazine cover although edited differently. Somewhere that I think the combination of products is lacking is that the title at the end of the trailer is not in the same font as on the posters and it doesn't include the tagline "the supreme spirit of evil" which is featured on the poster. This could have helped tie the trailer more closely with the ancillary texts I feel. I also asked a couple of my peers and they agreed that there is continuity and for the most part, they look as if they belong together.

What Have I Learnt From Audience Feedback?

Once we completed our Horror trailer, we showed it to around 30 of our peers that match the target audience of our work. From this we collected their responses; both positive remarks and constructive criticism that could be used to improve future media products. 

Strengths of DIABLOUS:

People thought the iconography of a
pendulum worked well in this part.

According to audience feedback, our hard work to find lots of interesting locations to film in paid off as many people mentioned that the locations fit the codes and conventions of a Horror trailer (e.g. they seemed isolated) and that this added to the overall professional look and atmosphere of the media product. Linked to this, we received positive remarks about the mise-en-scene and iconography of the shots especially in the first few caravan shots, as the use of the satanic symbols, candles, crystal pendulum and overall set up of the shots made the sub-genre apparent to the audience and the shots more eye catching.

We got positive feedback on this shot
as they liked the way it was laid out.

Lots of the audience remarked on the good use of angles, and the variety and composition of shots throughout- examples of moments they thought worked well were the use of a high angle when the characters were running through the warehouse, and the mediums hand hanging at the side of the shot, with the rest of the building in the background Something else that came up a lot as a positive of our trailer was the quick editing to create pace and the way the sound was synchronised to this well.

The feedback we got on the end of the
trailer was positive as they remarked
how the editing made it a good
 killer shot.

One audience member specifically pointed out the blown out candle moment about halfway through that sparks a further pace build-up and said this worked well not only to create atmosphere but also made the piece look well put together as the image matched the soundtrack. Lastly, we were told that the final shot of the medium screaming with edited eyes was a effective ending and killer shot as it startled them.



Weaknesses of DIABOLUS:



Where some people liked the handheld cam
on this part, others found it too unsteady.

A problem with creating your own media product, especially one with a narrative like a film trailer is that not only do you have to come up with an idea in the first place, you have to transfer this to the trailer in a way that makes sense to people that haven't read the idea brief. This is where we could have improved, as pointed out by quite a few audience members: the absence of either dialogue, a voice-over or titles throughout, means that unless you already know the background to the idea, you are a bit lost as to what is actually happening on screen.


This shot was intended to show
the DIABOLUS transfering to
chris, however, again due to lack of
explanation, many audience members
weren't sure what was happening.



This shot of chris walking was supposed
to connote him being possessed and
maybe travelling elsewhere to spread
the DIABOLUS. However because of the lack
of explanation, the audience found this part
confusing.

Another element of the trailer that the audience remarked could have been improved is that it lacks suspense, which is crucial in a horror trailer to fit the genre and entice people to see it. Part of the lack of suspense they said was due to seeing the antagonist too often. I think this is a valid point, but if we had made the storyline more obvious, it would have been apparent that the Medium is not necessarily the antagonist as the DIABOLUS demon jumps from body to body, meaning that in some shots throughout, Chris is actually the one being possessed. However, another thing they said that would have made the project more suspenseful would be better sound editing to create tension and jumpy parts.

In conclusion, although there are parts where our audience felt could be improved, for instance the suspense and overall telling of the storyline; we got lots of positive feedback about the strengths of our media product too. I think this shows that with enough research and planning and the right equipment, it is possible for a consumer to become a media producer themselves.

Ancillary Texts - Magazine Cover & Poster

Film Magazine Cover

Film Poster

The Role Of The Production Company

The role of a production company for a film is primarily to make the film a success, whether or not the company is a huge conglomerate with millions to spend on productions and advertising, or it's an independent, low-budget team who don't have the budget to blow on extravagance. Often films in the past that have been the best box office reception have spent lots of time creating massive advertising campaigns so that the audience anticipate them for months before they actually are released in cinemas. These advertising campaigns often include posters, trailers, internet adverts, paying blogger's to advertise the upcoming film, radio advertising, and interview slots on television shows if there are famous celebrities involved in the film. It is easy to imagine the expense spent on making sure the film is a success regardless of the film itself with the six major studios in 2003 - Disney, Warner Bros, Sony, 20th Century Fox, Universal and Paranormal having spent on average $34.8 million to advertise a movie. For obvious reasons, it can be very difficult for an independent film to become successful in today's industry without millions to promote their media product. Luckily for independent horror film makers, it seems that a lack of money need not dictate the success of a film in today's industry, with the well known chillers 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) and 'Paranormal Activity' (2009) spending only $20,000 (this is debated, sometimes up to $750,000!!) and $15,000 respectively on the entire films.

Something that 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Paranormal Activity' have in common is that they are not filmed in a traditional manner, instead using hand held camcorders which adds a terrifying realistic edge to the cinematography. Although DIABOLUS is not entirely hand-held camera filmed, it does include elements of such which I think adds to the realism of the film, making it scarier than it would look if filmed in a very static manner. Also, DIABOLUS makes use of the abstract camera shots and angles often found horror films as it unsettles the audience as they don't know what to expect. These qualities are often made more prominent in independent films to further unnerve the audience as the camera (their view point) isn't removed from the action of the film meaning the audience feel very uncomfortable - this extra involvement with the film is what makes up for the lack of a huge budget. I therefore feel that if DIABOLUS were a real film to be released, it would be produced by an independent company who would make use of the internet to advertise and distribute their film.