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

The construction of our media trailer is based on a means of conforming and/or opposing the use of horror and trailer conventions. The purpose of this is to accent and address the horror genre, as well as to interpellate the required target audience. The use of these conventions was carefully considered with our own work as is its prevalence within the professional film industry, therefore there are comparisons between works. The comparisons below are examples from our final product: "Monk", shown left and various other horror films, shown on the right and display the various horror and trailer conventions used.

Comparison with "The Missing"
These shots are similar in their approaches and are used in nearly all films. This long shot works as an establishing shot, detailing and setting the scene, however, this approach is different to a typical establishing shot which is usually a birdseye view of the scene. These two shots capture the surrounding but also illustrate several themes relating to the horror genre. The frame is filled with environmental iconography; trees, buses and dirty ground and is completely devoid of human life or imprint. The notable presence of the trees within the foreground create a sense of isolation and helplessness deep within the forest. It plays on the notion of binary oppositions: urban and rural - the totally rural and lifeless area is already suggestive of the type of genre but also powerful in engaging the audience leading them to question the setting and the event.

Comparison with "The Last House On the Left"
The use of these similar shots works well in conjunction with the comparison with "The Missing" - an extension of the establishment of the scene. The introduction of a car is useful here as a conjunction between scenes and is the transition tool that brings the protagonists from equilibrium into disequlibrium. The trees and bushes are interweaved with the car and early on, the sense of entrapment is clear. However, the use of lighting in "Monk" and "The Last House..." is dissimilar. "The Last House..." shows the car in the day time and latter scenes during night time, however, "Monk" exploits night time upon arrival and suggests the main "event" featured in the film is about a fast-paced isolated event - something attractive to horror fans. The use of darkness creates an overall demonic feel and lends itself to application of narrative theory. The obvious use of night time darkness and the car suggests the protagonists are entering a period of disequilibrium (Todorov). both in the trailer and the film.

Comparison with "The Strangers"
The use of intertitles is integral to these trailers, as well as many others. The use of intertitles plays on the Bordwell and Thompson narrative theory where a chain of events are linked in a cause and effect relationship. Here, the causal relationship lays between text and video. The text integrate between segments of footage and disperse information about the storyline. The text used is simplistic as not to avert attention away from the literation itself - often the stylistic and thematic effects on the intertitle are distracting. The white text contrasts well against the black background and the legible font allows for easy reading. The use of a majorly black background entwines with the darkness of the trailers themselves, it's as if the title is coming out of the darkness or the scene itself - the trailer is telling it's own story. In the case of "Monk" the intertitles are used to explain some of the backstory and indicate the paranormal activity prevalent within the plot, accentuating the horror and conforming to the conventions of a typical trailer.

Comparison with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
The main feature of these scenes is the point of view shots (POV). It is implied the POV is of the antagonist chasing the protagonist. The handheld camera and longshot indicate the high level of movement and suggest disturbance and terror within the scene, the shakiness of the camera leaves the impression that the POV is of a disturbed person. The main focal point of the frame is the character in the foreground which, is again, suggestive of a chase scene. For instance, in the POV was of the antagonist following a peer, the focus on the character would be less than centred, less fixated. The effectiveness of this camerawork is crucial to create an unsteady basis of identification for the audience and additionally leads them to question their own morality and who they should identify with in this case. This typical horror convention is reinforced by the repetitive iconography of graves, tombstones and poor lighting. The feeling of isolation and entrapment is perpetuated and it appears there is no escape - in terms of a trailer this is essential, adding suspense and a sense of intrigue to the target audience. Again, "Monk" challenges the use of a daytime chase scene; exploiting night time allows for lessened visibility creating a much more sinister feel.

Comparison with "The Strangers"
The shots here are particularly effective in creating an ambiguous introduction of the main antagonist. The thematic horror and trailer and convention used here is the inability to identify the monster or threat. Like the majority of scenes, the shots are covered in darkness which add shadow and create poor visibility. The iconography in "Monk" is clear; the dark hooded figure with a lantern is indicative to the plot and the suggest Monk-style antagonist. This is loosely similar to the threat in "The Strangers" the iconographic mask is indecipherable and therfore makes the figure a stranger - indicative to the film title. The camerawork in "Monk" challenges that of "The Strangers" using a midshot from below - although the an extreme closeup could envoke some level of horror, the longshot leaves the Monk unidentifiable, while the below shot makes the Monk appear much larger and far more sinister. Leaving the full identity of the antagonist is hidden is particularly useful in inducing a fear element; the viewer can work out some basic features of the figure/face but the rest is left up to their imagination and this allows the audience to embellish, exaggerate or underplay the hideousness of the antagonist in anway they wish. Even so, their is some suspence is solving the mystery of their true identity portrayed within the film. The camerawork similarly identifies the subjective gaze of the Monk, engaging the audience with the undistinguishable character. The shot is useful to end the trailer - as the Monk leans in and fades to black the recurrent ideas of entrapment are highlighted again as the Monk invades the space of the entire frame.

Comparison with "Eden Lake" The prevalence of this scene is crucial for the establishment of the films main antagonist. The close up identifies the character in a state seemingly unaware of the threat - almost complacent about the notion of any danger. Immediately identification is built with these characters due to a level of dramatic irony - the audience is aware of the horror genre, but is aware the characters are not and will soon meet some level of danger. In "Monk" a slow zoom goes from a mid shot to a close up of the character while maintaing the iconographic lantern. The camera zooms into an over-the-shoulder shot while the characters look into the darkness; this technique manipulates the audience into inspecting the darkness in unison with the antagonists - engaging them as active consumers. This over-shoulder shot is useful in terms of audience identification and the POV style camerawork presents itself to be the point of one of the protagonists; in terms of observer morality, it is clear that here, you are identifying with the "good guys". The main horror conventions, as shown in "Eden Lake" are challenged by "Monk" as there is no presence of a "final girl". This is atypical of the horror genre and instead, there is only a basis for male identification but leaves the audience to question whether the characters are dispensable within the plot, or made to survive. Delving into the darkness creates an intriguing level of mysticism and toys with a horror-based theme regarding the other side of death - as if exploring the depth of darkness is exploring death itself.
Comparsion with "The Wrong Turn"
The main idea for this shot is a CGI reproduction of some iconography. The iconographic book is depicted earlier in the trailer, where this is shown shortly after. The narrative theory of Bordwell and Thompson again uses a causal relationship between the collection of the book and the content of the book to help develop the audiences understanding of the plot development. The text/content acts a graphically enticing intertitle, but moreover, is historical artifact relative to the plot, giving a sense of historical authenticity. The text is percieved to be mythiological and embellishes the idea of the return of the repressed. The "Monk" version challenges "The Wrong Turn" version somewhat and further includes narrative elements; the use of an establishing shot of the castle in question acts a visual aid relating the book's content. The iconography and colouration of the abandoned church adds significantly to the conventions of horror and highlights the setting for the story and establishes the historical background underpinning the film.


The main link here is the introduction to the storyline of the fictional history and the film itself - finding the book is integral to the characters finding their way into danger. This salient piece of iconography lends itself to a chain in the causal relationship (Bordwell and Thompson) of equilibrium and normality of average life and the disequilibrium of being pursued by a resurrected Monk; (Todorov) reading the content of the book allows for the characters and audiences understanding of the antagonist. An over-the-shoulder shot of the antagonist acts as a basis of engagement for the audience in camerawork similar to POV - it is as if we are uncovering the myth with the character themselves. The scene allows the for the exploitation of the teenage character type, with their susceptability and curiosity into all things bizarre, mythiological and dangerous. It plays on the thematic idea of teenage stupidity, where investigating danger seems like a good idea as opposed to thinking with precaution. This, however, is effective and creates a basis of identification with the audience - reminding them of mistakes made from curiosity.

Comparison with "30 Days of Night"

The shots used here are very similar and are used for the same effect. The below angled long shot is used to highlight the presence and abnormality of the antagonist - for instance, both appear to above head height. The use of a handheld camera exaggerates a POV effect, allowing the audience to become one with the video, engaging them as the protagonist themselves. The "30 Days..." sequence uses the black background to accentuate the antagonist, but this is challenged by "Monk". The dark colouration of the scene and the clothing allows a subtle insight into the protagonists view of the antagonist, it appears sinister and soulless. The Monk appears to be blending in with the misé-en-scene and the subtlty is just as unnerving to the audience as the impactful scene shown in "30 Days...". A horrific element of the film is embellished here; the Monk's ability to blend in with the surroundings can create a level of paranoia - the Monk could be anywhere at anytime. The abnormality and notions of the paranormal are highlighted in the antagonists integration with the church setting, the impossibility of being so high up is questioned by the audience - the paranormality becomes one with the aforementioned mythology and narrative causal links are once again recurrant throughout the trailer.

Horror Conventions
In order to effectively target the required audience, the genre itself had to be specified through the deliberate use of various conventions and techniques. The settings used were clearly indicative of the horror genre and the use of natural night time lighting added a sinister realism to the piece. The graveyard and church scenes perpetuated the foretold myth of the Monk and the constant reccurance of tombstones is suggestive of his resurrection. Furthermore, the iconography used was fairly minimal, but effective - the idea was to bring the Monk into the present day. The Monk's cloak is the most notable piece of iconography; the drooping and aged cloak is used to conceal the Monk's identity and to project a sinister threat within the scene. Aside from the obvious graveyard/church setting, the use of the car suggests that the characters had to travel some distance to the scene - there are connotations of isolation and entrapment that create an aura of horror. The use of the ambient iconographic flashlight is supplied by the protagonists, however, the latter part of the trailer shows the Monk holding it like a lantern. This pastiche effect creates links with the present and the past combining and adheres to a typical horror theme. The use of the lantern was also effective in creating natural shadows that helped conceal or embellish certain parts of the scene, allowing for tangibility of the level of horror.

Where the use of setting and iconography was fairly typical of the horror genre, the use of camerawork and special effects was quite challenging. The overwhelming use of the handheld camera in chase and actions scenes suggests that the protagonists are the filmers themselves - the only static shots used are in moments of equilibrium or for the establishment of a scene or setting. The handheld camerawork ranges from over the shoulder, point of view and tracking, the holder of the camera appears interchangable as a way of both presenting the protagonists and antagonist and to further perpetuate the notion of candid filmmaking. There are very few close ups within the trailer and the use of long shots are favoured to incorporate several effects: below shots are used in order to embellish the horror of the antagonist and experimentation of depth of field creates a voyeuristic effect through trees and church walls which highlights both the hiding of the protagonist and the chasing from the antagonist. The use of these effects leaves the "Monk" trailer toying with the audience as the camera switches between good and evil, but also connotes some level of sorror as the protagonists seem helpless and the wrath of the Monk is inevitable. The camera notably negotiates between protagonist and antagonist to highlight the fear within the scene - this is quite challenging as horror trailers usually depict one view of the characters involved. To challenge other trailers; the prevalence of gore and special effects is extremely minimal and the scenes are only suggestive of the depiction of violence - this may be less favourable to gore fanatics but is useful to sway fans of thrillers as well as horrors.




While there is no actual depiction of violence within the trailer, the rather unusual absence of a final girl is a subtle hint at gore within the film. Usually, the presence of a "final girl" suggests that threat is defeated and the film is rooted in the success of the girl rather than gore and special effects. However, the presence of an all male cast may forecast the notion that there is a battle for survival, although, the inevitability of survival is abscent. This is both useful as a horror and trailer convention, indicating attributes of the genre and creating a basis of intrigue and suspense for the audience. However, the use of teenagers is traditional of horror conventions; suggesting teenage curiosity and rebellion, like in most films, will lead them to trouble and most likely, their death. Despite lacking, the typical horror convention of a "final girl" "Monk" incorporates the use of various confounding horror themes. "Monk" explores: The return of the repressed, the hidden evil inside, the other side of death and religion; so while some aspects such as camerawork and casting are challenging to the horror genre; the plot and horror thematics are strong and cover a broad range of horror-based situations.

Trailer Conventions
The purpose of a trailer is to give enough insight into the film to create a "buzz" or a level of intrigue and desire of consumption without spoiling the entire film plot. The short time frame of a movie trailer lasts usually between 1 - 1 and a half minutes meaning that the process of a trailer creation is of high value and considered a filmmaking art form. The editing used with "Monk" was simplistic and played on the idea of a speed gradient, whereby the general speed of the edit increased toward the end. Editing transitions are sequential to the speed of the edit; the use of cross dissolving was prevalent in slow portions of video - usually in periods of equilibrium, helped to steadily build motion. In the more ferocious segments, faster cuts were used to build a faster pace and at points shots last for less than half a second- this created an aura of suspense and panic and specifically targets a horror genre favouring audience.



The "Monk" trailer is fairly challenging in terms of audio and contains no diegetic sounds or voice over and relies heavily on a backing track. However, the background music is entirely indicative of the plot and horror genre. The style of horror is highlighted within the various layers of audio within the backing track. Non-diegetic synthesizer style sounds underly the track and connote the levels of paranormal activity within the film. Additionally, the use of Monk chanting interlinks with the religious element of the plot and adds a sinister and unsettling vibe. To maintain pace and speed with the visual portion of the trailer, the audio builds into a fast paced and heavy soundtrack - the use of heavy pounding drums again links to historical and religious details working harmoniously with the Monk/religious chant to create a truely sinister aura. The ethos of the film is highlighted in the maintained pace between video and audio, the projected idea is one of a thriller horror and indicates to the audience, through the uses of camerwork, iconography, setting and trailer speed that "Monk" is a fast paced horror film with a religious, supernatural and action based underpinning.