Peer assessment feedback

In order to improve my blog further, I need to include more aspects from 'The Ten Commandments for reflective writing', which consists of a variety of different media terminology. Additional references regarding intertextuality along with more evidence of the film genre I am studying will help me achieve a higher grade overall for my A2 Media Studies blog.

Codes and Conventions of Trailers

The trailer for the 2007 American supernatural horror film known as 'Paranormal Activity' features numerous codes and conventions that successfully advertises the film. Trailers for all films have the similar concept as theatrical posters, they are designed to tease the audience into wanting to eventually attend a screening of the film when it is released in the cinemas. 

Like all trailers, the companies behind the production and distribution of the film are shown at the beginning, in this case; Paramount Pictures. Since this is a horror film, the reaction from the audience is key in showing the extent of fear that this film has to offer. Because of this, the makers of the film have included cameras inside one of the first screenings of the film before its initial release, showing the reactions of the audience. Throughout the rest of the trailer, various scenes that are regarded disturbing and frightening are shown, backing up the multiple comments and quotes from reviews published by popular film sources.

Codes and Conventions of Posters

This theatrical release poster of the 2007 American supernatural horror film known as 'Paranormal Activity' features numerous codes and conventions that successfully advertises the film. Posters for all films are near enough the same, except there are slightly different codes and conventions for each genre of film, Horror for example; the poster should be interesting but not too revealing, showing a particular scary scene, iconic character or reference from the movie, in order to 'tease' the audience.

Displayed at the top of the poster is a quote from a popular third party film website, stating how scary and disturbing the film actually is, intriguing the audience into eventually watching the film when it comes out in the cinemas. Shown in the middle of the poster is a still frame screenshot from one of the scenes in the movie that is shot in the iconic home-video, night vision style; clearly showing the distress caused by the unwanted presence in the couples house, which can be seen as a dark figure in the doorway. Displayed underneath the main image shown in the middle is the title of the film, 'Paranormal Activity', in a bold red font with a subtle glow behind it making it stand out from the rest of the normal text around the poster. Above and underneath the title of the film is the slogan of the film, stating "What happens when you sleep?", and "Don't see it alone". Displayed at the bottom of the poster is a 'Demand It!' button, instead of the traditional release date. This allows a number of people from numerous cities from around the world to vote for the film to be shown in their area. Finally, below the 'Demand It!' button is the details of the production company which distributed the film, Paramount Pictures.