Q1. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR

MEDIA PRODUCT USE,

DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE

FORMS & CONVENTIONS OF

REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

SETTING/LOCATION

I used many shots overlooking developed city areas and establishing shots

showing built-up buildings in the background. The reason for this is because I

wanted the audience to grasp the idea that my film is set in a suburban/city area

and by showing shots where my character is overlooking a city view from a

distance it shows how the setting of my film is literally on the outskirts of the busy

city of London. The reason I wanted to create this image is to enforce the street

racer concept as this is something which would be unusual to see in a country or

rural area. I also found that most action films tend to be filmed in city areas such

as ‘Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift’ but I still wanted to illustrate the theme of

isolation which surrounded my character which is why I wanted to represent the

setting in such a way.

SETTING/LOCATION

COSTUME/PROPS

Obviously the key costume in my film is the characters race attire which she develops and this is a pair of

black skinny jeans, a black roll neck top and a harlequin printed pink jacket. I thought this look was effective

as the outfit overall was very bland and plain with a pinch of flare and confidence striking out in the outlandish

but quirky jacket as I wanted this to demonstrate the character wearing it. Also, I thought this outfit looked

fairly professional and individual for the character wearing it and gave a subtle female hint which links in with

the plot. A significant prop used throughout is the car which is a black Mini, this car is traditional and has been

around since 1959 and street racing supposedly got popular around the 1960’s so I thought this was a vehicle

which would fit. Also, I wanted the car to be seen as a first car and therefore I think the Mini is realistic and

appropriate to use. The use of the colour which is black is firstly to match the race outfit of the protagonist, but

secondly because black is symbolically seen as being mysterious and the colour itself reflects no light in any

part of the visible spectrum. This is why it can often be associated with emptiness and loneliness which

mirrors the protagonist female’s feelings. The helmet is also significant as it reflects upon the tragic storyline

and keeps in touch with many key themes such as safety and protection which is something the mother is

particular about.

COSTUME/PROPS

EDITING

My trailers cuts gradually become more choppy and sharper throughout the trailer and this is

to seem fast paced, build suspense and reflect the action genre of the film. I sorted them into

the particular sequence I did so that firstly, they would conform to the sound and music used

and secondly, so that they could tell a vague story. I made sure that the trailer contrasted from

the beginning to the end by beginning slower and distant to resemble the characters

personality as well as build up to a climax which is the end of the trailer where the shots get

more fast paced and more intense to show the protagonist’s life and emotions and her

blossoming confidence.

PLACING OF TITLES

In order to make my film seem professional and suitable to my genre I watched lots of other

action film trailers and just trailers in general. I found that the release date was often placed at

the very end of the trailer which is why I done the same for mine. I also found that some release

dates were placed in the middle but I felt that it would be more significant if placed at the end and

would enable the audience to remember the date if it was the last thing they saw. Before the

release date or along with the release date, I saw the actual film name and so I imitated this as I

thought this was effective and again would be a significant thing which would be remembered

last. I failed to find a trailer where the production company was placed last and so I decided that

it would be best to place this first and stick to the typical conventions to seem fitting. Toward the

beginning of the trailer I accredited the actors by placing their names and throughout I placed

relevant titles to the film itself to subtly explain key features of the plot.

PLACING OF TITLES

GENRE – HOW THE

TRAILER SUGGESTS IT

The trailer suggests the action genre through the use of costume, props, location, editing and

many features which I have already spoken about. For example, the use of the car and speed

which is a typical piece used in many action films as cars are iconic due to the links with

speed, danger and adrenaline. The editing which I have spoken about foretells the genre

through the fast paced shots and build up. The location is urban and so is bound to be

surrounded by drama, hustle and bustle of the city and action unlike what is expected from

rural areas. Many other features demonstrate the action genre however I have already

explained them and don’t want to be repeating myself.

GENRE – HOW THE

TRAILER SUGGESTS IT

INTRODUCTION OF

CHARACTERS

In most cases, the protagonist is the first character to be revealed. It may be a gradual

process of fairy immediate, but this is something I thought was essential when creating a

trailer. This is because the main focus of the plot is going to be this character throughout and

so it is imperative that the audience are presented with this character first. I then introduced

the mother as I needed some background behind the story and so thought this would be

suitable. However, nearer the end I introduce the actors along with a brief clip of the character

after as I found this didn’t need to be an enigma code for the audience but instead fairly

straightforward.

INTRODUCTION OF

CHARACTERS

SPECIAL & AFTER EFFECTS

I was fortunate enough to have access to Adobe After Effects, the only issue however was, I wasn’t very

confident with using this and so it took some time teaching myself the basics of this complex software. I

wanted to combine this into my film though seeing as I had spent so much time attempting to learn it, it

seemed a waste not to incorporate it somehow. Firstly, I began playing around with my production logo and the

appearance of this at the beginning of my trailer. I spent ages producing different ones and eventually came to

my senses and realised that less was more and to keep it simple looked much more professional. I originally

spent ages trying to create a turning wheel on a car that using the software, would eventually be moving. This

wasn’t happening for me and didn’t look very effective anyway, so once I had tried a dozen times and achieved

the outcome I wasn’t pleased with, I opted for simpler options and watched other trailers. After watching other

trailers it was obvious that these were all much more basic and that this looked better so I scrapped the idea of

having an image and stuck to text which glowed through every letter and then the whole text and then

enlarged and faded out of the screen. I also created my own lens flare on an establishing shot by imported the

clip, applied the lens flare effect, adjusted the opacity and the brightness.

SPECIAL & AFTER EFFECTS