The code and conventions of thrillers

Codes and Conventions of Thrillers:

• Has a very fast pace
• Uses straight and jump cuts to keep up the pace
• Music that adds to the tension
• Low key lighting

The codes and conventions of a theatrical trailer and a teaser trailer

Theatrical trailer:

• Longer than a teaser trailer
• More of the storyline is revealed
• Shows the dates the film will be released

Teaser trailer:

• Usually up to 90 seconds long
• Shows a small amount of the storyline
• Won't show the exact date of the film, it would say something along the lines of "coming soon"
• It is released before the Theatrical trailer

Certification

We found it was best suitable for our teaser trailer to have a certificate of 15, due to the following BBFC certification guidelines:

Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Thanks to the BBFC, we were able to make sure our teaser trailer was suitable for a 15 certificate.

Poster - Completed

We then added text to our poster and came up with a completed design:

We went for the image with the lips and eyes pixelated as we felt it was more striking and creepier than just his eyes being pixelated. We had the title at the top, and then just the portrait shot of the protagonist on a black background. We felt this was the most effective and simple way to attract our target audience. This also makes the text stand out, due to the luminous green colour. We chose this colour as it features heavily in some games, such as Call of Duty, so serves as an intertextual reference. We then included our slogan or tagline, "Some live to play. Others play to live" along with the date of our release. We then had the text at the bottom in a smaller size, with the credits about producers and directors etc. This was because it is a code and convention of film posters, so we needed it on ours.

Slogans/Tag lines

Slogans/Tag lines

We needed to come up with a slogan/tag line as this is a  code and convention of media products. This slogan would then be used across our ancillary tasks to tie the tasks together in a smooth and subtle way.



We really liked the tag lines from Xbox and PS3 which include:

- Live in your world. Play in ours
- This is living
- The game is just the start        --> We really liked this one because it really relates to our trailer and the concept of our film
- Life, Advanced.

However we were unable to use these due to the fact that they are copyrighted and too recognisable as established slogans. Some that we came up with were:

- Is it really just a game?
- Are you really in control?
- Who's controlling who?
- Some live to play. Others play to live.

We decided to go with the last one because we felt it reflected the themes in our film and suits the plot well.

Idents

We chose two companies to produce our film, these were Lionsgate and Lakeshore entertainment which produced a film called Gamer which we felt was a similar genre and concept to our film. The Lakeshore Entertainment ident also 'bounces' as if it were a game loading and this fits with our music and we were really pleased with this effect.