Film Questionnaire

Embed above is the questionnaire for my horror/thriller film in which the data collected will enable me to build my target audience's profile. Additionally, based on the results (which I will collect in a week) will help to shape my trailer into what my audience like, what they feel builds suspense and will make it a successful trailer.

Target Audience - An Explanation

Below is a presentation I will be evaluating my target audience for the media product I will be creating. Demographics and a specific audience is a crucial aspect of appealing and relating to an audience. This post will determine what my audiences age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic, nationality and sexuality my target audience will be.

Aesthetic collage for my target audience 

For my target audience I created an aesthetic collage of my target audiences interests, their hobbies, what music they listen to and even what they love to eat.

Age

16 - 25 is the age group that my target audience consists of. I have chosen this particular age because the characters in my trailer will be of a similar, if not same, age this therefore allows for audiences to empathise with my protagonist and other characters.

An existing film whom target audience is similar is the 2015 supernatural horror film whose entire cast is made of teenagers in high school. Their target audience was primarily of this age also, since the film was centred around the idea of social media (which is something that young people use daily) is what made the film such an success - aiming successfully at the target audience. The film was given a 15+ age rating from the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) as the film contained strong language, strong violence, threat, sex, suicide theme.

Gender

New York Film Academy showcased Gender Inequality in film

My media product is aimed for both genders as both of these genders as firstly there is a equal divide between genders and would be appropriate for either gender to watch. My main character is a female, she is courageous and confidence, a heroine. My female protagonist appeals to both genders as males will enjoy the 'bad-ass' action that she will encounter and females will empathise with the female character and may choose her to idolise with,

Socio-Economic

Placing my audience into a C2 cateogry and below would be practical and reasonable though I believe that anyone from any of the socio-economic can watch the trailer/film but those from a much higher group (A and B audience) may not enjoy, understand nor relate to the film. This is due to those within this category enjoy much different films from those in lower groups.

Sexuality

My character, Billie White, is openly bisexual and will enable my film to represent a part of the LGBT+ community which is something that doesn't appear very often within films. In the film industry and media in general there is a clear lack of bisexual characters and this is an important element for my film as it generates a much larger appeal to audiences and will give my film a chance to challenge the conventions of character. It is also noted that when films do show bisexual characters, their sexuality tends to be the only aspect of their character. I will carefully represent the character of Billie White in order to showcase this community positively, focusing away from a stereotypical bisexual as study has found that stereotypes of bisexuals can prove to be harmful. These stereotypes include bisexuals being very promiscuous, or that they are simply confused and indecisive about their sexuality, Billie will remain far away from these stereotype conformities.  

I will be carefully aiming for my target audience by using specific characters, costumes, locations (school for example to appeal to teenagers) and the colours that I use. Through the use of these elements I will make my trailer a success by appealing to my target audience rightly.

Target Audience Analysis Of Existing Films

For a film to be received by its target audiences successfully,  many of its components must combine together in order to make it a success. This means that the plot, the characters, the cinematography and the messages within the film must mix together perfectly with its target audience in order for it to be received successfully by the consumer.

I selected three existing films that included many conventional thriller features and then went on the analyse a good and bad review from each and make comparisons between the two. What I discovered is that the positive and negatives in reviews tend to contradict one another through a matter of personal opinion and how the audience decodes the film but what consumers tended to pick up on through the negatives was a lack of depth in a plot and the connection that audiences have to their characters. What they found positive about a film tended to lean towards the feelings an audience experience during a film - the tension, the mystery and the thrill within the film itself.

Prom Night (2008)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Knock, Knock (2015)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Gone Girl (2014)

Negative Review

Positive Review

Based upon this analysis, I will think carefully about how the features within my film trailer will combine together in order to make it successful. I will try to introduce my stand-out character personalities effectively and communicate the plot so the themes are shown rightfully.

Justification of Research Methods

For my research into what my target audience thinks about thriller films I firstly looked into the advantages and disadvantages of the research types - focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. Embed below is a presentation showcasing the pros and cons of not only interviews and focus groups but also the advantages and disadvantages of qualitative and quantitative data.

The presentation also explains why I had chosen creating a questionnaire in order to collect my data, which was because questionnaires is very quick and easy to produce and also to receive its data, they allow for a large sample to complete it and the data is easy to generalise than an interview for instance.

Main Media Plot Development + Details of Whole Plot

 My initial idea of my media product was in fact a dystopia, where it warns audiences of the dangers of society and portrays a futurist, imagined universe where an oppressive society remains in control through a picturesque illusion of society. I considered this genre massively, as I harbour a strong love for literature and films set within a dystopian society, but I decided not to stay with the dystopian idea as I felt like I was constantly changing my mind on plot ideas and moral lessons.

 My second and final idea that I feel very strongly about and I feel has a interesting plot is a thriller film (which elements of horror). This will be set in a school setting, where five 17-18 year olds (sixth formers) are told to stay at school (during a storm) for engaging in a fight with one another. During their so called 'detention' the caretaker locks up and the power cuts out. One of them is murdered in the library when searching for power supplies. The remaining four must survive until sunrise to make it out alive. I favoured this idea as thriller trailers I believe are unique. They pull audiences in easily through the use of suspense, quick cuts, low-key lighting and character's facial expressions.

 Based upon this analysis, I have decided upon remaining with my idea for a thriller trailer as I will be able to include a wider range of techniques such as camera angles, movements, lighting, colour and In order to create a successful thriller trailer, I must include the conventions of a thriller which include a contrasting use of high-key and low-key lighting (to highlight how the antagonist affects the storyline), the use of quick cuts and focus on ways to create suspense in my trailer. I will endeavour to achieve this through the use of dramatic non-diegetic sounds and tie that music in with the editing transitions and focus on character expression.

Thriller Iconography Board

This is the iconography board for the thriller genre, it shows a visual on the conventions and objects that are commonly used and linked with thriller. These symbols and iconography enable for the genre to be recognisable. Iconography is important as it has a lot to do with the mise-en-scene. The physical objects and attributions within a scene of a certain genre give indicator to the audience into what may or may not happen and additionally create the story line and heightens feelings that audiences often feel when watching a thriller - fear, confusion and curiosity.

From this, I will be able to visualise what my film may look and feel like from this iconography board. I now have a more grasping understanding of what is generally more included and associated with the thriller genre of films. Finally, this will enable to communicate my genre through the symbols and objects included within my trailer.

Conventions of My Genre (Thriller)

Genre

 The genre that I have selected for my film is the heart racing genre of thriller. Thriller is considered to be a broad genre in literature, films and television and within thriller there are numerous and more than often overlapping sub-genres. Hitchcock stated that thrillers allow for its audiences to "put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like. Thriller is therefore a flexible genre that's more daring and made by independent companies, aimed at niche audiences and have much more freedom and creative control over their final product. Postmodernists encourage as flexible genres challenge the common conventions of a genre by mixing and using a wide range of characteristics and conventions that belong to different genres. For instance, many of thriller's conventions overlap that of the horror genre and will sometimes leave audiences confused as whether a film's genre is a thriller or a horror.

 In thriller, the plot generally revolves around a battle that takes place between the protagonist and the antagonist, when there is a disruption in the equilibrium. The story then showcases a chain of unfortunate and sometimes deadly events and endeavours to build tension and creating a suspenseful climax. The protagonist's aim is to restore justice within the story, where the antagonist will be determined to destroy it. The aim of a thriller film is to create excitement and suspense for its audiences.

Sub-Genres

Conventions

• Violence is a common convention of thriller, violence is typically communicated through the use of mise-en-scene in props such as weapons (guns, knifes, etc).
• Fast paced, frequent action and resourceful heroes who must defeat and overcome the plans of a dominant villain
• Suspense and cliffhangers are used heavily in thrillers.
• Villain driven plot, where villains will throw obstacles at the protagonist
• Plot twists that endeavour to shock and perhaps even disturb the audience
• Dramatic soundtrack to provoke audience's emotions
• Characters tend to follow Propp's character theory as it includes the hero, the villain, the princess, the dispatcher, the donor, the helper and the false hero.
• Dark colour scheme and low-key lighting to connote mystery and provoking thrill
• Isolation is considered a conventional theme of thrillers and often shows characters in vulnerable position

Mirrors

Mirrors are a typical convention of thriller films as they are a way for audiences to see the characters reflecting upon their inner self and shows clearly to audiences exactly what a character may be feeling through facial expression. Mirror also are considered to represent the darkness within certain characters. An example of this would be the film Mirrors.

Plot Twist

Plot twists are what drives and creates unease within thriller films, A plot twist surprise and confuses audiences and could perhaps led to a discovery of a false protagonist. This involves presenting a character in the beginning of the film as a trustworthy protagonist, but later on getting rid of said characters (usually killing them) this convention is also known as a red herring. An example includes from a 1999 supernatural thriller film The Sixth Sense where a child has a psychologist doctor (Bruce Willis) whom he talks to about seeing dead people. Throughout the entire film this doctor helps him but later the audience discovers that the doctor is in fact a dead person also.

Thriller Film Examples 

The Black Swan

 The 2010 Black Swan was a psychological thriller, directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film includes suspense, plot twists and low-key lighting in particularly scary and heart-racing scenes. Part of what makes this film so terrifying to its audience I believe is the use of the unreliable narrator. Typically in thriller films, we are introduced to a narrator or a character whom we place our trust into, but Nina remains unreliable to its audiences, making the audience fearful as they have nobody in the film whom they can rely on. A convention that the film follows heavily is the use of mirrors as much of the film is shown through mirrors. Within the film Nina's reflection in the mirror moves independently from her own, making the audience uneasy and questioning just who is the real Nina and who they can truly trust.

The Purge

  The 2013 The Purge was a fictional thriller/horror film that was directed by James DeMonaco. The film centres around the idea of all crime being legal, including murder, making the film more of a social science fiction. The Purge itself includes various conventions of thriller, and does so effectively despite receiving mixed reviews. Suspense, mystery and and curiosity and feelings that revolve around this film. The film manufactures these feelings and emotions through the mise-en-scene within thriller films the mise-en-scene is crucial for creating the setting, environment and characters within the film. For instance, at the very beginning of The Purge, the characters are shown going about their day to day lives, highlighting the normality and shows them within a happy and positive environment. This 'happiness' is shown to the consumers through the lighting which is high-key, bright and additionally through the characters facial expressions, where they are seen smiling, happy and laughing. The facial expressions are also used to showcase the relationship and interactions between characters before these events occur,

Analysis of 3 Ancillary Products (Film Magazine)

Analysis of 3 (Ancillary Product 2) from alltimejas

Based upon this analysis of film magazines, I will endeavour to follow the general codes and conventions of film magazine and how it promotes and advertises the film's on its front cover. These conventions include the masthead, the main image, coverlines, barcode (where the price, issue number and date are generally located) and I will also be aware of the mise-en-scene I placed on my front cover and the colour scheme that I select on the cover in order to make sure that it suits my film's genre to provoke a certain emotion to my consumers and potential readers.

Analysis of 3 Ancillary Products (Film Posters)

Analysis Of 3 Ancillary Products from alltimejas

Based upon this analysis, I will be sure to follow the general conventions of a film's poster including the film's title, main image, actors names and also a release date. Depending on which genre I choose I will be aware of the lighting I use in the image and in addition the colour scheme that I include in features such as the text and title on my poster. I will also manipulate my images to make them more realistic to provoke the consumer to feel empathy and also enable my poster to stand out from any other competing ones.

Mise-en-Scene within 3 Film Trailers

Mise-En-Scene is a French term that refers to what is placed into a frame or scene and this is made up of five different elements. These are setting & props, position of characters, lighting & colour, facial expression & body language and finally costume, hair & make up. Each of these aspects create meaning within the scene and influences the audience on how to feel during the duration of the trailer/film.

Here below, is where I analysed the 3 trailers that I used in my analysis of conventions for the mise-en-scene used within the various shots and scenes.

The Regression

 This mise-en-scene in the trailer for Regression is mainly focused around lighting to make the audience feel tense and rises anticipation for the upcoming film. Costume communicates to the audience how they should feel about characters - should they fear them? Should we emphasise? This trailer overall is incredibly effective as the lighting, along with the tense, heartbeat like fast-paced music makes for a very intense and unforgettable thriller trailer and leaves the viewer wanting more.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 The mise-en-scene in the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is centred around realistic special effects, wide shot camera, out of the ordinary costumes, scenic shots and dark, moody lighting enhanced by lights. All of these features of mise-en-scene combine to produce a dramatic, tension building fantasy action trailer that is unforgettable for audiences.

The Maze Runner

 The mise-en-scene used within the trailer for The Maze Runner presses a lot of emphasis on the location, lighting and colours. It also focuses on the facial expression of the characters to provoke a certain emotion and effect upon the audience, for example when characters display looks of curiosity, it is extremely effect when creating a reaction to the trailer. Also the use of contrast lighting is incredibly effective when making a comparison between the darkness of the maze and the trusting, brightness of the Grazer.

 Based upon my analysis of mise-en-scene in these three trailers, I will be choosing the lighting that I use in my trailer carefully, in order to provoke a certain emotion from the consumer. In terms of location and setting, I will use various camera shots (including wide shots) to show a certain location to its full extent and this will help to communicate potential plot ideas to the audience and leave them with unanswered question. The facial expression of my actors will also be very important when creating empathy and provoking the audience's feelings.

Trailer Analysis of Salt

Salt was a 2010 action thriller film that starred Angelina Jolie about that is an action-packed film about secret agents told through compelling plots concerning trust and honesty. It's target audience was aged from early 20's through to adults and the film's unique selling point is that although it is action, it pulls in aspects of a drama through a plot that is inspiring and emotional.

The colour used within the trailer is mostly cool colours include blacks, greys and blues. These colours are primarily used to convey the dark themes and atmosphere of the film, constantly suggesting to the consumers that something bad is looming towards the character. The lighting used throughout the trailer is a mixture of both high key and low key, this is additionally because all of the characters are dressed in dark clothing which contrasted against the light in the photo, allowing for them to stand out. In this image an extreme close-up of Angelina (Evelyn Salt). Firstly, it acts for endorsement purpose, using Angelina Jolie as a point to reel and attract audiences who are already followers of the popular actress.

This the part when the action is at its most highest. In this brief scene, we see Angelina's character being represented as a very assertive and brave character, it challenges the conventions of female characters who tend to be passive. This character however is shown to have the same 'killer mentality' that men have when she is seen throwing a grenade at the ceiling. This scene clearly follows the many conventions with action thrillers, with explosions and weapons being shown to the consumer.

The ending of the trailer informs audiences of around the time the film will be released. Using 'Summer 2010' instead of the actual release date is much more effective, because it means that those who find the trailer intriguing must use the links shown to perhaps find out the release date and when they can see the film. WhoIsSalt creates an enigma around Salt's characters, leaving audiences confused who Salt is, is 'Salt' good or evil? Having this particular link at the very end of the trailer ends up leaving audiences and consumer on the edge of their seats, wanting to find out more and the truth about Salt.

The first half of the trailer gives consumers the basic outline of the story, though I feel it gave a way a little too much but still left a degree of mystery. The trailer tells us that a Russian spy is planning to kill the American president in New York. It is also revealed in the trailer that this Russian spy is in fact the women who was questioning the Russian guy. This indicates that the film is going to be an intense action thriller because we discover that the chase during the film will be the "spy" (Angelina Jolie) who is running from her colleagues. The target audience is aimed both towards men and women. Men will want to watch this film because it is an intense thriller, meaning that action and fast pace will be a dominant feature but it also is because using Angelina Jolie as the main character will appeal to the Male Gaze theory. Women will also want to watch this film because it shows a female protagonist, where a women will be fighting with men which flips the convention and its head as it is stereotypically men fighting men. Challenging conventions, especially in terms of gender will be more appealing as it does not dismiss the importance of strong female characters in film, which sadly is very narrow and limited.

Sounds within the trailer begins with predominately non-diegetic, with drama music and soundtrack to bring a sense of atmosphere to the trailer. The background music that has been used to this film was composed for the purpose to match and fit with the on screen visuals and additionally to match the mood of each of the characters in certain scenes and situations. It's slow, dark and gradually gets faster and then suddenly changes when it is revealed who the spy is. The sound then progresses to diegetic when 'Salt' is being moved across the bridge and the sounds go quiet and all that is heard is the sound effects of the traffic, breaking glass, the taser being used and the sounds of the cars wheels swerving.

The cuts used at the beginning of the trailer is slow, to let the trailer follow nicely and fit with the soundtrack, which will contrast with how intense and dramatic the trailer gets towards the end. The remainder of the trailer shows a much wider variety of shot types and the non-diegetic music begins to speed up and synchronises with the timing of the cuts. The end of the trailer, where the women can be seen almost peeling off a sort of face mask, it indicates to audiences that there is maybe a twist in the story. A wide shot is used twice in the beginning of the trailer where the action appears to be taking place (New York) which firstly gives consumers an idea of the types of locations that they will see in the film. The second shot is an array of police vehicles which emphasises the idea that a serious crime has taken place.

Overall, the trailer for Salt is very effective. It gives a clear indication of the thriller action genre, with using explosions and showcasing the different weapons used, it is clear to audiences that this film will include a lot of action. The trailer, though it follows conventions in terms of genre, it still challenges the conventions of female character. Angelina Jolie's character (she also appears to be the main character) is seen in the thick of the action, she is the one causing the explosions, the chaos, whereas typically it is the males who are causing the action and violence, but in this trailer the conventions are challenged and with brilliant results.

Types of Film Trailers

Film trailers take many various formats used by film companies. They all have different purposes and reasoning behind them. The bigger the film and/or company, the more likely they are to use a variety of these formats as these bigger films and companies can afford to do so with their funding.

Teaser Trailer

A teaser trailer plays a part in the 'teaser campaign' within a film's advertising campaign, which allows for hype about an upcoming film to kick-start. This campaign is particularly challenging as it is small and anticipates to a much larger, covert campaign of the film. A teaser trailer therefore tends to be released long before a film's release date (sometimes even years away) in order to 'tease' the audience. It is also much shorter than the film's official trailer and sometimes contain certain scenes or sounds that are not even featured within the final film itself. These trailers are often made whilst the film is in production or editing process and are usually products of a big budget film, such as the Divergent series (video above). Their purpose is simply to inform audiences that the film be out in the near future and create a hype for the release.

Theatrical Trailers

These trailers are considered to be the film's 'official' trailer and is the trailer that tends to be shown during the adverts in the cinema. These trailer tend to be screened during films of a similar genre in order to receive a similar audience to generate profits. They are usually between two to three minutes in order to convey certain aspects such as the plot and the characters. They also show some of the 'best bits' within the film, without giving too much away, they use to most action packed scenes in order to create anticipation.

TV Spot

This is a very short (around the 30 second to under a minute mark) that is designed purely for TV distribution, before and/or during the film's release. These TV spots act as the advert shown on TV for the film and enable companies to get their desired target audience.

From this research, I now have a much more clear idea and understanding of film trailers in general. The reasoning behind these different trailers and why companies may use these trailers when advertising their film in order to obtain their target audience and make their film a success. 

Film Trailer Conventions

 Film trailers follow many conventions and rules, these can vary depending on how modern the trailer may be or the genre of the film. I have chosen several trailers and analysed them to look for the common conventions used and how they can effect the audience. Modern day trailers differentiate from past trailers through the uses of different conventions and have overall become much more gripping to audiences.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was highly anticipated by worldwide, the epic finale to a ten year film series and was presented in two films. There were multiple trailers to the final films to the series. I chosen this trailer as it covered both films and also included many interesting and common conventions of film trailers. Firstly, the trailer opens with the film’s distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures with a dark, cloudy setting that projects pathetic fallacy of the dark themes within the film. The trailer includes a huge variety of camera and angle shots to create a climatic atmosphere, this allows for the audience to get immersed in the trailer and for excitement to build around the release. Close ups of the characters/actors expressions communicate the feelings of surprise, action and suspense and make the audience want to know what happens next.

 The sound used in the trailer includes both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The non-diegetic sound is incredibly important in the trailer as the slow paced music at the beginning and the much more fast paced and dramatic music towards the middle and end of the trailer contrast one another and adds expectationally to the trailer’s tension and builds up intensity for the film. The fast pace music helps to fit with the fast pace editing and transitions within the trailer and this pulls in the audience’s interest. Diegetic sound includes the film’s dialogue (“only I can live forever“) this dialogue does however turn into a voice-over for the trailer.

 The setting, colours and lighting of the special effects contrast with one another could connote and communicate the magic of the film and the trailers theme of good vs evil, light vs dark. This allows for the trailer to stick in the audience’s mind and enable it to stand out against other trailers. Another convention that the trailer follows is showing the release date(s) which tells the audience how long they have to wait, perhaps adding to the excitement.

Regression

Regression is a 2015 psychological thriller that stars several well-known, successful and respected film stars including Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke and David Thewlis. These actors alone create hype around the film as a way of celebrity endorsement, giving the film a much wider audience across age and interests. The trailer, much like Harry Potter, has dark lighting and a dark setting, following the general conventions of the dark themes of thrillers. The editing of the trailer begins rather slow, bringing the audience into a false sense of security before its pace becomes much faster and intense after the drama and action in the film is shown. The transitions used in the trailer begin slow, fading and then cut quickly towards the end of the trailer when the action is shown.

 Again, the sound within the trailer is a large part of the genre and also the audience’s reaction to it. The rhythm of the non-diegetic music follows almost like a heartbeat increasing (similar to Insidious’s trailer) which could perhaps be used in order to get the audience’s heart racing and could connote the audience’s immersion during the film. The editing follows along with the music’s rhythms which is very effective way to build tension through the trailer. Diegetic dialogue communicates several of the plot’s main points to the audience, giving them information of the film. There are few camera shots in the trailer but nevertheless the close ups and clear facial expressions from the actors communicate the film’s emotions clearly to the audience and suit the film’s genre of thriller. Overall the trailer gives the audience an idea of the plot and increases excitement around the film through the uses of non-diegetic sound and the actors involved in the film.

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is a 2014 dystopian science fiction film, based upon the novel by James Dashner by the same name. Already being released as a novel (much like Harry Potter) the film already had a large audience that anticipated an outstanding film. The trailer overall showed a lot of the film’s action through a variety of camera shots and camera angles. The editing was constantly kept fast, matching with the non-diegetic music and fitting perfectly with the action-packed plot. The lighting and setting contrasts – the light and brightness of the ‘Glade’ (the large grassy area) against the darkness of inside of the maze.

 The lighting in the beginning of the trailer is dark and gloomy with blue undertones along with florescent white, these colours together give the trailer a harsh and cold tone. The beginning of the trailer makes the audience question – What is the boy doing there? Where is he? Did he do something? The trailer is extremely effective in making the audience want to watch it, through unanswered questions and high anticipation.

 Overall, modern day trailers place a large emphasis on non-diegetic music to create excitement. They are also leading away from away non-diegetic voice-overs and are instead using dialogue from the films to act as the voice-over. Common features that run through trailers include a large variety of camera angles and shots, showing scenery, setting and most importantly the characters and their facial expressions. Also, depending upon the genre, the editing and music is kept fast paced and dramatic to hook the audience and make them want to find out what happens in the film, it makes the trailer much more effective and stands out. Genres such as romance and comedy may not follows these conventions however. Based on this analysis, I will place a focus on the non-diegetic music used and make sure that it sets the atmosphere and will also be aware of the lighting and setting and how that may reflect the plot of the film.

Genre Research

A genre is a category. Media texts fall into a category or genre. Film genres are identifiable categories and classifications or groups of films that have similar conventions such as situations, themes, props, plot, mood, setting and stock characters.

Film Genres

• Action - include energy, tend to be big-budget physical stunt and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, rhythm and pacing.
• Adventure - exciting stories, similar to the action genre.
• Comedy - light-hearted plots, designed to amuse and provoke laughter through situations, jokes, language and characters.
• Crime - showcase the sinister actions of criminal and underworld figures, include crimes such as stealing, murder and fraud.
• Drama - serious, plot driven, realistic characters, settings, include real life situations and intense themes and plots.
• Fantasy - incorporates imaginative and fantastic themes such as magic, supernatural and even fantasy worlds.
• Horror - provoke fear, shocking finales, cathartic experience,
• Musical - songs, dance routines, centred on combinations of music, dance, song and choreography.
• Science Fiction - visionary and imaginative, complete with aliens, quests, new technology.
• War - acknowledge the horror and also the heartbreak of war.
• Westerns - early days of America. The oldest of the genres, recognisable plots, elements and characters.

Because of genre, audiences know what to expect from the genre but also some variations to prevent dissatisfaction. Therefore any media text within a genre can be a combination of the familiar and also the unexpected.

The Five Functions of Genre

1. Reinforcement of a cultures ideas and values
2. Creation of a set of audience expectations
3. Creation of characteristics by producers which audiences recognise
4. A relationship between audiences and producers which minimises the risk of financial failure
5. Dynamism and flexibility - constantly transforming with new examples

Daniel Chandler - "Conventional definitions of genre are based on the idea that they share particular convention of content e.g. themes or setting"

Steve Neale - "Genres are instances of repetition and difference; this is what pleasure for the audience is derived from"

Welcome!

For my A2 Media Studies coursework I hope to get a high grade in order to improve and secure an excellent overall A Level grade. This year I'll ensure that my blog is up to date and full of different ways to present my coursework creativity. I will be creating a film trailer for my main product and for my ancillary products I will be producing a film poster and film magazine alongside of the trailer.