Agent Fifteen: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

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

Plot

Our main inspiration for Agent Fifteen was taken from the Saw films where the theme of isolation was common with connotations of fear of the unknown, we took this and used it to suit the plot of our trailer; the psychological effects of war on ex soldiers, we then twisted this to create fear amongst a local community.

Codes and Conventions

Throughout our trailer, set codes and conventions were followed to maintain a professional standard. Following these set conventions also help attract a target audience in order for our media product to be successful.

Colours/Poster

Our chosen genre was horror therefore the colour red which is has a high level of significance due to the connotations it has within horror films, more specifically to our sub genre slasher horror. When researching poster ideas the colour red was used frequently in films such as my bloody valentine where there is a red light shining on the pickaxe held by the villain; this draws the audience’s attention to the weapon whilst adding a deeper sense of aggression and violence.

As posters can be used almost any where (online, magazines, billboards etc) this is an essential way to target an audience.

The poster consists of three colours black, white and red this gives the poster a darker atmosphere which is suited for our chosen genre. Due to the simplistic design the main focus is on the gasmask which is given a sinister look due to the lighting effect; the harsh emotionless features are emphasised which represents the former shell of the ex soldier before his experiences in war transformed him. We used white for the text which carries connotations of innocence and being pure; this challenges the idea of the villain being completely consumed by his murderous rage or is their any hope for him to return to his previous mind frame before warfare altered his mental state. The text is positioned in the centre of the poster therefore the audience is drawn to it automatically whilst drawing the audience’s attention to the tag line. The small print at the bottom of the page with actor’s names / director’s names etc will help gather an audience for the film bellow the small print is the website which encourages the target audience to visit it to find out more about the film.

Editing

A convention of teaser trailers is the time length they are shown in, we used this convention by using fast editing. At the start of the trailer we used royalty free online clips of war footage; we used longer shot lengths so the audience can try to gather an understanding of the narrative without giving too much away. Shots of the villain walking through fog then followed and we used faster editing the pick up the pace of the trailer and creating an ominous atmosphere around the villain. The fast editing also helps build tension this tension reaches its peak at the end of the trailer where the villain is in a dark room looking down and then slowly looks up into the camera. In the trailer Crazies the use of fast editing is effective as it shows enough to intrigue the audience but doesn’t give too much of the plot away. The genre is clearly highlighted by the scenes shown which helps to draw in a selected audience.

Sound

At the start of our trailer we used non diegetic sounds to create a peaceful ambience contrasting to war clips shown, this is a convention used by many horror films to lure the audience into a false sense of security which adds effect to the scenes later on ( 0.00-0.17). At the end of the trailer we used a non diegetic sound of fast paced heavy drumming which juxtaposed the actions of the villain looking up into the camera even thought this was happening slowly the intensity of his actions are amplified to create an uneasy atmosphere for the audience to leave on.

Props

A convention for slasher horror films is that the villain is masked challenging the idea of hidden identity amongst local communities, we used this convention and made the gas mask our iconic feature for the film; this is clearly shown by our poster and in our trailer. We also used a meat cleaver as the villains choice of weapon this is common throughout many slasher horrors such as in Texas chainsaw massacre the preferred weapon of the villain is a chainsaw , in Halloween the weapon is a knife.

Narrative theories

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative “spheres of action”. One of theses rules is that of the hero, in our film we have subverted the expectations of our audience by using an ex-soldier who would stereotypically be considered to be a hero and twisted this into making him the villain who has been traumatised by warfare.

Todorovs Theory

Todorovs theory suggests that a film starts with an equilibrium (calm period) then as the plot unfolds disequilibrium occurs which is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonist and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end; by using footage of warfare to start our trailer it automatically brings a state of disequilibrium, by subverting Todorov’s theory we conformed to the conventions of a teaser trailer by never creating a sense of equilibrium instead a constant state of chaos to reflect the psychotic nature of the murderer.

Website

As accessing the internet is now easier then ever, creating a website helps to conform to the needs of the target audience (mainly aimed at males aged between 15-22). By using features which makes the website user friendly and interactive this will engage the audience more. We have embedded the teaser trailer into our website which will encourage people to go onto the website; we have also included other poster designs on the website which might entice people to go onto the website.

Tagline

The tagline “you know when you’ve got company” works well with the theme of war as “company” is another term for regiment, it also plays with the sense of fear in the safety of your local community and not truly knowing the people around you even though you may think you do.

Title

I researched into chemical warfare and came across the name blood agent which was a chemical used in poisonous gases, after researching into blood agents I came across a blood agent called Agent Fifteen; this also has connotations to the army which is clearly represented by the costuming of the villain.