300 words introduction

Regulation is about controlling what is shown to the public, and also about protecting them from viewing potential harmful content. My general observation on regulation in the contemporary age is that it should be there for legal reasons, but it is not really needed as people can make their own decisions as to what they want to watch and what they do not want to watch. I feel this way because having regulation means that children are getting protected from watching content containing things such as violence or adult themes. However, parents should be the ones who choose whether to let their children watch these things or not. Furthermore, I feel that media regulation may not necessarily work in this day and age because of new technologies, such as On Demand, meaning anyone can access content at any time, possibly containing swearing, violence or nudity.

I believe that the copycat theory is not true. The vast majority of people who watch violent content do not copy the actions that they have viewed. For example, those who have played GTA 5 do not go out on the streets and beat people up and steal their cars. I feel that the copycat theory is untrue due to people knowing the difference between right and wrong, and the media not being a strong enough influence on them to do certain things they have seen. This may be because of desensitisation, leading on from the copycat theory. Viewers may have become so exposed to things such as violence, that they are no longer affected by it, and they are able to watch violent content or play violent video games with no problems, and they do not copy it because they know that it is wrong.

Identify 4 R&P technologies:
- YouTube
- Prezi
- Photoshop
- Tiki toki

Used YouTube to research existing horror film trailers of various sub genres, such as slasher, supernatural and zombie.
Used Prezi as a form of presenting research and planning work, to make it more creative instead of just putting it straight onto the blog.
Used Photoshop in order to create the poster drafts, and to edit the images we were experimenting with for both the poster and the magazine.
Used Tiki toki to create a timeline, to do with the horror genre research.

To research horror trailers that are already out there, in order to get ideas from them to use in our own trailer, developing or challenging conventions seen in these. Using things seen in a creative way, not just copying.
To meet the audiences expectations. They would not want it to get boring, and it would do if it was all presented in the same way, so using a different presentation software met the audiences expectations. Also, it develops our creativity, as we are presenting our work in unique ways.
Used Photoshop to meet audiences expectations. They would be expecting to see a well-developed and high-quality image as the main image on the magazine and poster. Therefore, by using this software program, we could edit the image, so that it would reach the satisfaction of the audience. We were able to change the image so that it looks more like an image used for horror. For example, by using more low key lighting, which would make the image appear darker than before, giving it a more meaningful and eerie atmosphere and feel to it.
To creatively explore genre. Instead of doing a timeline on something such as Word, which would be boring, we did it on an actual timeline presentation software. Develops creativity as we are using a program that we had never used or even heard about before, but we are now using it to our advantage by making use of it.

Used YouTube as part of our research because we wanted to view various sub genres of horror. By doing this, we could pick out common things seen in each of the sub genres, meaning conventions of them. We were then able to choose which sub genre we wanted our horror teaser trailer to be. Watching these existing trailers from YouTube meant that we could use certain things that are in the trailers of our sub genre, and get ideas from there in order to be creative. Also, we could see how effective all of the trailers we watched were, and which ones hit you the most, so those would be the ones we attempt to follow, in order to create a successful trailer.
Used Prezi as part of our planning because we wanted to create something unique and interesting for the audience to read. Furthermore, we wanted to communicate with the audience effectively through this presentation software, as it is not just writing, there is creative animation that goes with it to make it more enjoyable for them and easier to get through. Also, by creating presentations in this software, we developed our skills, as we were now capable of creating a successful presentation on a new software that we hadn't previously used.
Used Photoshop as part of our planning because we wanted to get the best quality image we possibly could for our main image on the poster and the magazine. We made sure that the images were visually pleasing for the audience, and that they were what they would expect to see as the images for a horror poster and magazine. To get them looking the way they should, we edited them in Photoshop to make them look darker, create more shadow on the side of their faces, and to make the images as a whole stand out more.
Used Tiki toki as part of our planning because we wanted to create something unique and interesting for the audience to view. We felt that it would be best to use a new software to develop our planning, as this would not only allow us to present our work in a different way, but it would also help us to develop new skills in this program. We also wanted to creatively explore genre, and to become more creative when it comes to research and planning as well. We believed that a timeline would show the development and history of horror film trailers to the full, and Tiki toki is a software, especially designed to create timelines, which is why we used this program.

Using YouTube was successful in meeting audience expectations as by watching a number of horror trailers, we could gather the best bits from them and use aspects of them in our own trailer. We were able to see the basic layout of a horror teaser trailer, such as the equilibrium and the disequilibrium, which is what the majority of the trailer is. The resolution, that comes at the end is not usually shown in the trailer because the makers of it do not want to give the ending away. YouTube was also successful in that it met our needs, which were to be able to watch lots of horror trailers in an efficient and effective way. Also, it was useful as we could view a horror teaser trailer of any sub genre we wanted just by typing it in, and trailers of that sub genre would appear. This is because we had to watch different sub genres, in order to choose which sub genre we wanted our own trailer to be, and to see which necessary conventions and stock scenes we should follow. This all shows that we were creative in using YouTube.
Using Prezi was successful in meeting audience expectations as it meant that they could view our presentation in a different way. It also met expectations as the audience would be more likely to read it all as it would be easier for them to get through, rather than chunks of text. Prezi was a creative way of presenting some of our work as there were animations, as well as writing. Text is in different sections of this software as well, so it is easier to split up the different parts.
Using Photoshop was successful in meeting audience expectations as it allowed us to have images for our magazine and poster of great quality, as opposed to images that look blurry or do not fit in right. The poses in the two images are right as what the characters are doing in them fit who they are, and what they do within the trailer. This was made possible due to the use of Photoshop when editing these images. For the image in the poster, we could make it even darker than before as the antagonist was in it, and for the image in the magazine, we could make one side of the protagonists face dark and the other light. We could also make her eyes stand out more, as she is supposed to be represented as scared as the antagonist is behind her.
Using Tiki toki was successful in meeting audience expectations as a timeline, showing the history of the horror genre, would work extremely well as they would be able to clearly see how the genre has developed throughout the past 100 years. Not only that, but they would be informed about some information of the horror genre from each decade, from the 1920s to the 2010s. Also, they could watch the trailer of one of the most popular, if not the most popular, film from each decade. This would mean that the viewers could see how the trailers have developed and become much more intriguing, as the early trailers had few camera shots and were black and white, and the most recent ones are very advanced technologically, through the use of many camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

Magazine Conventions

Masthead - The masthead is the title of the magazine, which is typically in block writing. It is like this so that it is recognisable and distinctive to the audience when they first see it. It should be one of the first things they notice. The masthead can sometimes be designed in a particular in order to match the genre of the magazine. It is conventionally at the top of the magazine, either at the very top or just below the strap line.

Main Image - The main image of the magazine is distinctive to the audience and stands out when they first look at it. It should be big and cover lots of the front cover. It should be one of the first things they notice. The main image on the front cover of a magazine is conventionally in the centre of the page, although it can sometimes be placed on the right or left of the page.

Main Cover Line - The main cover line is what story the magazine is focusing on. It is related to the main image seen on the front cover. It is sometimes what attracts the audience to the magazine, due to the use of bold, colourful or distinctive writing.

Strap Line / Selling Line - This is a line of text, usually found at the top of a magazine, but is sometimes in other places on the front cover as well, such as directly below the main cover line. The selling line advertises the magazine and attempts to make the audience pick it up and buy it.

Cover Lines - The cover lines on the magazine front cover show the other things that are inside the magazine. They are not the main focus of the magazine, which is the main cover line, but they tell the audience about the other articles that can be found in it. These can sometimes be the reason why people are attracted to the magazine because they typically feature names that people may like. they are usually on the side of the page. They are also typically at the very bottom of the magazine page.

Barcode and QR code - The barcode allows the reader to know how much they are paying for the magazine. The QR code allows people to scan it on their phone in order to pay for it or to find out more, such as other magazines that are available for purchase, similar to the one they just bought. They are always in one of the bottom corners of the front cover.

Website - This gives the audience information about where they can find the magazine online. They can visit the website page if they want to know more about the magazine. For example, to find out about past and future issues of the magazine, and how the magazines are created. This is seen near the top somewhere.

Date / Issue - The date tells the audience when the magazine was published. The issue number tells them which edition of the magazine it is, and how many editions have been produced before. They are found near the top of the page somewhere, alongside the website usually.

Our horror film trailer illustrates creativity in the construction and application of conventions, specifically a combination of audio and visuals. It has some key visual strengths, particularly in the use of mise-en-scene and lighting. For example, our priest was appropriately dressed for the church setting. Our trailer starts off slow, but builds with pace, with use of montage. To create mystery, we used low key lighting to keep our antagonist hidden in our conventional horror stock scene. The use of sound edited is effective mostly throughout and mixes and sequences the drones, distortion sounds and title slate booms. There is a strong variety of shot types with some controlled use of camera and framing. For example, creativity in the use of a dolly shot and editing creates a build up in tension. This shot also shows the power of the priest as it is a low angle shot, and it demonstrates his dominance. The use of make up and props for the antagonist in particular added to , and colour grading. Title slates are suitably used and are in the correct places. Furthermore, a boom sound effect was put over the title slates. Overall, this trailer follows typical conventions seen in real horror trailers, with good creativity.

Post Production essay

For my AS preliminary task, I used Adobe Indesign and Adobe Photoshop. This is because these two programs would be extremely important throughout the media course, not only in AS, but for A2 as well. We would be using these programs all the time in media. For this task, I only created a magazine by following conventions of exiting magazines almost too much. It was too similar, and didn't have any creativity. During this time, I learned the basic things on both Indesign and Photoshop, such as how to crop on both programs, and how to place a background behind an image on Photoshop.

For my A2 horror trailer, I was introduced to a new program which I had not used for AS, and which I had no prior knowledge of, Final Cut Pro. I learned how to use it and how to edit clips together in order for everything to run smoothly. However, some of my knowledge learned from AS was brought along with me for A2 as well. Things such as the colour scheme being important was further understood in A2 as I now knew that it was vital because it gives the product or company an image, and by using the same colours for all of their products, people would instantly recognise that it is them because they would be well-known by their colours. Also, there was more post production work required for A2. This included editing different scenes together, putting sounds behind footage, and adding titles to scenes.

In conclusion my understanding of post production skills have helped me create better products as I now have knowledge of filmmaking, and I have started to film scenes for A2 instead of just taking still images for my magazines in AS. I can use Final Cut Pro for this, as well as Adobe Indesign and Adobe Photoshop, which were the only programs that I used for AS.

Digital Technology essay

I have learned to become much more familiar with digital technology over the last two years in terms of how to use it to my benefit when creating the tasks for AS and A2.

We are nowadays using digital technology all the time. Sometimes we don't even realise that we are using digital technology because it just naturally happens, without us being aware of it. Somebody could put different filters on a picture of themselves to experiment with the way it looks on Snapchat, and they are using digital technology to make use of something old and create something new. Another way someone could use digital technology is by creating a clip of their video game on their console, and then sharing it with their friends or with the world by putting it on YouTube. Therefore, they would have contributed to creating digital media.

When making my magazine for my AS preliminary task, the only way that difital technology was used was when we researched existing magazines, to see the sort of conventions that they follow, so that we could create something similar which followed some of these typical conventions as well. We saw that magazines follow a basic colour scheme usually, so I followed a strict colour scheme. The picture that I used for the front cover of my AS preliminary task was a very basic shot. It was a medium close-up with no movement and no interesting element. It was just still. Also, the only programs that was used for the creation of this task was Adobe Indesign and Adobe Photoshop.

When it came to doing the different tasks for the A2 horror work,digital technology was used in a much more proficient way. Firstly, a questionnaire was created sent to people who were within the target audience. Furthermore, these people completed the questionnaire in various ways, all of which used different forms of digital technology. Some people used iMessages, others used Whatsapp, and some completed it using an actual survey engine. This allowed us to actually gain an insight into what our target audience would want and what they expect from the product. In AS, we believed that we were creating the product for ourselves, so we didn't know what our target audience thought of it. 

In conclusion, my use of digital technology when creating media has advanced greatly over the last two years as I am now able to use more programs, such as Final Cut Pro, which I did not know anything about in AS. Also, in A2, I now understand that we are making our products for our target audience, and I know how to get input from them.

Regulation summary

Regulation is a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.
The government regulates video games in and attempt to stop children and teenagers under the age rating to play the game. An example would be Grand Theft Auto 5, which is rated 18, so the government want those below the age not to play the game, because they could be influenced by certain aspects of the game, or they could potentially be mentally harmed by the content they see within the game.
The press is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
The British Board of Film Classification regulates film and TV. Their purpose is to rate films and TV shows based on the adult themes, nudity, sexual content and violence shown in the film or TV show. If it had all of these things in it, it would be rated at 18, to stop people under the age of 18 watching it as it would not be suitable for them.
Regulation should exist due to a number of reasons. To protect the vulnerable, to uphold the law, to prevent the immoral being shown positively, to take into account the message of the work in its entirety, to protect against harmful messages, and to avoid penetrating real-life criminal acts.