Form and Conventions

Trailer 1 (Legend):

The trailer starts by introducing the companies who make the film and an aerial shot of London which is a convention of trailers so that the audience straight away knows the kind of film it will be. This is added to by the voice over the start of the trailer which tells us that its set in London in the 1960's and it introduces the two main characters of the film, the Kray Twins. While the voice over is playing we get the aerial shot of London, a shot of an old car travelling through London and then a two shot of both twins sitting in the back smoking cigars. This very simple method of setting the scene is very effective as we now know that these two are of importance, they have power because "everyone has a story about the Kray twins" and we know the era the film is set in. The genre is quickly established after that as we get a clip from a scene in which the twins start a fight and there is some humor and some action so the film can be classed as an action comedy. We then get a proper introduction as there is a voice over taken from some dialogue in the film that introduces the twins and as he says there names we get a close up of each one so we can tell which one is Ronnie and which is Reginald; this really helps the audience to be interested and connected to the film and want to really see more and go and watch the film. The trailer then goes on to explain the plot of the film with some added humor to keep the audience interested and the trailer makes it clear to us that the film is about two gangsters. The trailer finishes with lots of quick cuts, loud music and lots of action to really set the tone of the film and to draw the audience in one last time to really make them want to see more about the film and to go and watch it when it comes out.

The structure of the trailer follows the conventions you would expect from a trailer as it starts by introducing the characters and the scene with the production and distribution companies names. The trailer then goes on to explain the plot with lots of clips from the film and lots of action and humor, text is also used on screen in order to help the audience understand what is going on a little more but not too much so they have to think for themselves or see more. Then the trailer will end with loud music and lots of action clips until it shows the film title and when it is coming out in cinemas. This is a very typical and conventional method in order to compile a trailer, the music and texts used will all sound and look like they are from the era the film is set and match the genre well.

Trailer 2 (Everest):

The trailer for the film 'Everest' again follows the same conventions and similar patterns to that of 'Legend'; the trailer starts with lots of aerial shots of the mountain to set the scene with a voice over from one of the characters talking and explaining how dangerous everest is, we then get a very quick look at the production company (Universal). This is usually how most trailers start to set the scene and the tone of the film. Then, the trailer goes on to show the characters and give a very brief introduction to the main characters, focusing mainly on 'Doug Hansen' who aims to be the first postman on Everest who i presume to be the main character. Next, the plot is revealed to us and this also introduces more characters to us at the same time, I understand that they are trying to climb Everest and they reach the peak but on the way down a storm hits and it follows the story of the climbers and their families getting the news while back at home. Again, this is a very conventional thing to do throughout the middle of the trailer, after the audience is hooked by the tone and scene of the film the audience then gets an idea of the plot with some on screen text, usually saying when the film comes out or if its a true story, which is this case it had both. Everest's trailer end with lots of quick action clips and an intense orchestrated piece of music to really hook the audience for the last time and attract their attention to the name of the film which is on its own in the middle of the screen in a very large font, which again is a convention of movie trailers. After the title is shown, there is one last aerial clip of Everest and then all the legal text that they have at the end of most/all trailers.

The structure of this trailer is not much different to Legend, in almost all areas it follows the same conventions that the typical hollywood trailer would. Using wide or aerial shots to set the scene while a voiceover plays describing the location and setting the tone of the film is a very typical and conventional way to start a trailer but it is also very effective because the audience can quickly decide whether they want to watch it or not. Characters and production companies also get introduced very quickly in trailers to immediately attach the viewer to the trailer. In Legend's case, the trailer started with companies then location and characters together, however, Everest did location, company and characters. The same conventions are being followed but different films vary these slightly in order to prevent trailers looking similar. The rest of the trailer is almost identical to that of Legend as the plot is explained, there are lots of short clips of action with very loud music and then the title appears which shows that Everest does follow the conventions of a movie trailer if it is similar to another trailer. Before the legal text that comes up on screen, the trailer shows one last clip which is an aerial shot of the mountain to reinforce the tone and the scene of the film this again is something that is very common in films in order to bring back the interest of anyone that might have been fading from the trailer once the title has play. Both Everest and Legend are big Hollywood films and so their trailers reflect this as they both closely follow the conventions of a movie trailer.

Trailer 3 (London Road):

'London Road' differs from the other two films straight away as the other two are made by major US studios or their subsidiaries, whereas this film is a nearly independent film from the UK meaning that it may not follow the conventions of a film trailer you might find in the US. However, the trailer does start by following the conventions of a normal movie trailer as we see all the companies names involved in the production, distribution and funding of the film which is the same as the trailer for 'Legend'. As the last companies name shows we hear someone speaking which is clearly taken from a point in the film, just like 'Everest', but, this time after a couple seconds, the first clip we see is the clip the audio is coming from and it is in a documentary style and does not set the scene nor does it introduce any characters or plot. This is definitely not a convention as the audio from that clip continues over the top of other characters, that we presume have some importance, that are also in the same interview situation as them. The bridged dialogue is a convention of a movie trailer but the way that it is carried out in this particular trailer is not a conventional use for it. After this short introduction we see the first graphic appear on screen, it shows the awards that the play the film is based on has won; we don't get told what the film is based on until later on in the trailer which is not a convention of movie trailers as we get told this very early on in both 'Legend' and 'Everest'. After this we get introduced to the plot and some of the characters through out the middle of the trailer; the plot isn't completely clear and we don't know any of the characters names which makes it hard for the audience to get attached to the characters. A conventional movie trailer would make the plot very clear and would introduce the main characters in relative detail so that the audience gets attached quickly and want to know more. We also learn the genre and pace of the film in this time as the music in the background is the characters singing as it cuts to clips of multiple characters singing along which means that it is a music; the tone of the film comes from the forensics teams and the police that are all over the setting of the film, London Road, which creates quite a dark tone to it and we learn that there is a mass murder caught on London Road, the music is very edgy as well. Multiple graphics then start to pop up which tell us that it is a true story and that is a convention of a movie trailer. After these graphics have finished and the song has ended just over half way through the trailer there is a turning point where everything gets much happier as they try and redeem their communal status and this is similar to 'Everest', however, 'Everest' does the opposite as it starts happy and triumphant and turns into this turmoil; but that dramatic change of tone is definitely something that is a convention in movie trailers. The trailer ends using the conventions that both the other two trailers had, the trailer ended with lots of quick cutting clips and music that was loud and tried to create a very strong atmosphere just before the title appears, and the music bridges over onto the title unlike the other trailers. Another thing that is not conventional is the use of text over the top of the clips from the film, as the quick cuts are happening the reviews for the film are being shown on screen, usually they would get their own space on screen to add emphasis and importance to then but that was not the case in this trailer. Finally, after the title, we see that main actors names which appears on screen identically to how they appeared in the 'Everest' trailer; we then get legal information and the trailer ends, there is no final clip to leave one last impression on the audience like the other two trailers.

The structure of the trailer for 'London Road' is vaguely similar to that of the other two trailers 'Legend' and 'Everest', all trailers have the production companies near the start and use some kind of voice over; all trailers use a text graphic of some kind in order to cut to the middle of the trailer where the plot and tone of the films are revealed; all trailers use text graphics of some kind throughout and all trailers use loud music with quick cuts just before the title and legal text is shown. However, their are some major differences which do set it a apart from a conventional trailer. Genre and characters were introduced much later than that of a conventional trailer the use of music from inside the film is not something that is regularly used, it is normally music that is external and is not from inside the film world and from the film itself. The final thing is that text graphics were overlaid onto the film clips, not just given screen time to themselves which again is very unconventional; the trailer as a whole follows a lot of the conventions of a movie trailer but their are some major things which set it apart from other trailers, which isn't always a bad thing.

Looking into Institutions

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. The service was created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005. In November 2006, it was bought by Google for US$1.65 billion. YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries. The site allows users to upload, view, and share videos, and it makes use of Adobe Flash Video technology to display a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media video. Available content includes video clips, TV clips, music videos, and other content such as video blogging, short original videos, and educational videos. YouTube was bought by Google in November 2006 for $1.65 billion but is now worth between $20 billion and $40 billion dollars, which makes it worth more than Twitter's $30 billion; but, Google as a whole is worth $400 billion.

People started to use YouTube because before it existed there was nowhere to upload videos for people to see, so trying to find clips of something you saw on TV or a song you heard on the radio again was nearly impossible. YouTube allowed people to upload these clips and videos for people to find content on subjects they enjoyed easily, it meant there was plenty of content on people favorite subjects or even just funny viral videos to watch to keep people entertained. People could find what they wanted to watch, when they wanted to watch it and they could replay it anytime.

YouTube provides a place for people to upload the content they have created to a worldwide audience, whether that be a funny clip they recorded, a short film they've made, a song they've recorded or if it is a big institution a movie trailer or even clips from the film. Content providers have the ability to earn money from adverts they place on their videos if their channels grow enough and gain enough subscribers and enough regular views. This can give people a platform to start their own brands and a number of YouTubers have become famous from a number of categories: SMOSH are a comedy duo who post funny and sometimes nerdy skits to their channel and now have 21.5 million subscribers and have their own movie; PewDiePie is a swedish gamer who posted videos of him reacting and playing video games for people to watch and is now the most viewed and most subscribed to person on YouTube with just under 40 million subscribers and these youtubers earn a lot of money and are able to buy huge houses and super cars just like normal celebrities.

YouTube has never had any dips in popularity or problems, YouTube has continued to grow rapidly over the 10 years that YouTube has been on the internet and still continues to grow and provide new services for the people who use the site such as the ability to live stream, use 360 degree cameras and create videos in Real 3D.

YouTube has had no major controversies other than the minor discrepancies with Hollywood and TV studios as YouTube and other video sharing sites such as Vine are becoming more popular than TV and film stars and are having more of an influence on what teens spend their money on and how they live their lives. This means that the flow of money that used to go towards stars and institutions that created this media has depleted and is now going towards these social media stars that are more 'honest' and 'true' because they create the content themselves and much of it is video blogs of their daily lives.

YouTube has had a massive impact on the media's landscape as many people download music and listen to music on YouTube rather than buying the CDs or buying it through iTunes. Also, people are uploading full TV show episodes and films onto YouTube and so this is having a profound effect on the film and TV companies and the services that usually provide this content as users can access it for free, most of this content is taken down as it breaks the copyright laws but most people slightly alter the content so that it cant be picked up by YouTube's monitoring systems. YouTube has allowed billions of users to upload thousands of videos everyday for billions of people to watch and has become one of the main sources of online entertainment in the 10 years it has been up and running.

YouTube regularly evolves and changes its interface to make it easier for users to find the content that they would enjoy, such as a recommended section on the home page which takes into account your viewing history and finds similar videos from with the same content creator or similar ones. Also their are hidden Easter eggs that you can find if you search for certain things in the YouTube search bar these usually include little animations you can make happen based on current or classic memes. This includes searching "do a barrel roll" and the search results page will spin around once, you can also watch some videos in VHS quality by adding "&vhs=1" to the URL. Mini games can be played on YouTube as well such as snake while a video is loading and missile defense can be played over the top of the video by simply typing "1980" on your keyboard without any kind of search bar or comments section selected. Sometimes though controversial videos can be uploaded and political messages from groups such as ISIS are uploaded and this is definitely something that wasn't intended when YouTube was created.

Stars and Representation

Bradley Cooper

 American Hustle
In american Hustle, Bradley Cooper plays 1970's FBI agent Richie DiMaso who forces two con artists to set-up an operation to catch corrupt politicians such as the mayor of Camden, New Jersey. The preferred audience for this film would have been somewhere between the ages of 18-25 or even people in their 40's or above that may have remembered this as it is based on real events. His activity is a typical thing to be doing in that era but the methods in which he does them are atypical as you wouldn't expect the FBI to use criminals to their advantage all the time. He conforms exactly to the genre expectations on looking very serious to fit the drama role, the outfit ans style is typical of that period, he's dressed like a cop from the 70's would be expected to dress and his slightly stereotypical perm and silk shirt gives him that slight comedy that the genre implies. I think that the preferred reading for this character is that he is quite powerful and in control as he has managed to force two high profile con artists be on his side in order to catch the corrupt politicians; he is wanted to be seen as someone who is very serious as well and someone that you would not want to get on his bad side, but if you're on his good side he can be very comedic and fun.

 American Sniper
American Sniper is a film based on the true story of Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper) who was the most successful sniper in US Military History, its the story of his 4 tours in Iraq and how that had a huge impact on his mental state and ultimately his family and kids. It ultimately goes on to show him all the way up to his death when a form Navy Seal that he was helping shot and killed him at the shooting range that they were at. In order to get into the role of Chris Kyle Bradley spent 6 months before filming and during filming learning a southern accent and getting military training and he kept in character, his speech and personality stayed the same on and off camera so that he could really become his character so that he could represent himself exactly how Chris Kyle would have been seen by his friends and family to truly honour him. Bradley's method acting is very in depth and both visually and through his personality he is represented as a NAVY Seal and a real family man and this helps the audience almost believe that he was the character he is trying to portray, as if he doesn't even have to act. In some ways his character is a typical a army veteran but his psychological problems that are prevalent in the film and his talents as a sniper make him an atypical character that the audience really takes interest to.

 The Hangover
The Hangover is about four friends who go on a night out in Las Vegas for their friends stag do and when they wake up one of them is missing and they cant work out why because they cant remember anything and so they have to retrace their steps and uncover the wild secrets from the night before. Bradley cooper plays Phil, he is the 'cool' guy of the group and is relaxed most of the time but can be very serious when he needs to be while staying comedic to keep the genre what the director intended. His visual representation are that of the average man so he did not have to change much in order to get into his character; he is someone that is relatable so that the humour will be enhanced to the audience so they can understand it more. Bradley cooper portrays a man who cares a lot about his friends and family and is someone who knows how to have fun but is also really sensible and looks after the group; he is the alpha male and the leader and you can really get that this is what was what the director wanted the audience to get from this character.

Hit and Run
Former getaway driver Charlie Bronson jeopardizes his Witness Protection Plan identity in order to help his girlfriend get to Los Angeles. The police and Charlie's former gang, lead by Alex Dmitri (Bradley Cooper), chase them on the road as his gang tries to get the money back from the bank robbery they did after Charlie left with it and hid it. Bradley Cooper plays the leader of the gang, Alex Dmitri, a hardened criminal who spent 8 months in jail for what Charlie did. Cooper had to represent himself in a new way for this film by growing blonde dreadlocks and putting on muscle mass and weight to match the idea that the writers had for the character. He keeps his comedic and light humoured persona that is seen through a number of his other films but he adds a criminal side to that so he can be serious and tough to get how the writers would prefer for him to be presented. Alex is a very atypical character both visually, as he has the surfer dude look, and also through his personality as most people would not expect a criminal who comes back to get his money to have this comedic and at times sincere qualities.

Serena
In Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George Pemberton's timber empire becomes complicated when he marries Serena. Bradley Cooper plays George Pemberton, the owner of a timber empire from 1930's North Carolina. Cooper plays a very wealthy and powerful character, to show this power his hair is always neat and his face is shaven making himself look very presentable. The clothes that he wears when he is on set are obviously also very different to what he would usually wear as they are from the 1930's, these are both minor changes though that people on set could easily change for him. For the movie Cooper had to learn and perfect the accent from North Carolina; he also had to lose a lot of weight and gain a lot of muscle mass as he plays a character that is outdoors a lot and working a lot and takes part in a lot of leisure activities so he would be quite fit. Bradley Coopers character is a very typical business man from the era and there is nothing that is too special about him other than his marriage, which is what the film is based around.

Who am I?

Who am I?

My name is Michael Higgins I am a 17 year old male; my ethnicity is White: British and I was born in Chatham, Kent, England but currently live in Rainham, Kent, England with just my Mum. I receive £420 a year from my Mum and my Nan to cover basic things such as food while I'm out or money to spend on entertainment such as the cinema or bowling. I am currently studying 3 A-Levels at the Howard School.

What do I consume?

Television Programmes - I am a frequent user of this content and regularly watch comedy based TV shows such as Workaholics and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but I do watch a lot of dramas such as Breaking Bad, House of Cards and The Walking Dead.

Films - I watch films very frequently and my genre of choice can vary, but it mostly sticks to action and comedy. The list of some of my favourite films includes Step Brothers (Comedy), Need For Speed (Action), The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (Action) and as you can se there is a theme with car related films as the Mad Max Films are also high up on my list. However, I can really enjoy films of other genres such as Shutter Island, which is a thriller.

Video Games - Video games are the content that I most frequently use and enjoy most racing games such as Need for Speed and Forza; and most first person shooter games (FPS) such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. I enjoy other games that merge genres such as the FPS role playing games of the Borderlands Trilogy and classic Nintendo games such as Mario & Luigi but mostly The Legend of Zelda franchise.

Music - I very frequently listen to music in a range of genres from Hip-Hop as my main interest with musicians such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean and Tyler the Creator to Indie Rock with Artists such as Jamie T and The 1975. However, I do also listen to a pop punk band called Man Overboard and some chart songs as I am open to all music.

Social media - Social media is a large and extremely frequent part of my life as I regularly check things like Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what all my friends are up to and it provides an easy way to communicate with the people I know and can also see things other people around the world are doing, especially on Facebook and Snapchat.

Internet Sites - I am an infrequent user of most internet sites as I never really have a need for them apart from school, so sites such as Google or Wikipedia I use for research during school. However, sites such as YouTube and Thrasher Magazine I use more regularly as it is fro recreational purposes.

Who provides the content I consume?

The main providers of the content that I consume are: Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Netflix, Google, Wikipedia, Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Odd Future Records, RCA Records and Thrasher Magazine.

Who do I consume with?

I listen to hours worth of music per day, mostly on my own but sometimes I do listen to music with my friends or my girlfriend through speakers or on vinyl. Films I mainly consume with my friends and girlfriend and they are not that regular, maybe 1/2 films a week, sometimes I watch films on my own and if I so ill watch about 3/4 a week if I don't have plans. Internet sites I use nearly everyday for both school and social activities so I consume this medium with both friends and on my own, school work is done on my own but entertainment like YouTube and Thrasher I consume with others. Video games I mainly consume on my own and I play videos for multiple hours a day, however, I do play video games online with my friends sometimes so I don't just consume alone but this is not that regular. Social media sites I consume all the time and always check them on my own as my news feed is tailored specifically to me and I only consume this with other people over the internet via a text messenger and not in person. Finally, TV shows I always consume with friends and my girlfriend as TV can get boring on my own and its much more enjoyable with others.

Where do I consume?

Social media I consume everywhere, in the car, at school, at home, at the skate park or even when I am out with my friends; social media can be checked from my phone so its easy to check it anywhere. Music I listen to everywhere too as I can put my headphones in while I am walking somewhere or when I am skating, if I get to a friends house or my girlfriends house I take out my headphones but we usually will listen to more music out loud anyway. Video games I only consume at home because consoles can't be taken anywhere; but I also play games in my girlfriends phone either at home or at her house. Internet sites I only use at home or at school because they aren't really needed anywhere else. Films I usually consume at home, at my girlfriend's, at my friend's house or at the cinema; also, I only consume TV at home, at my girlfriend's house or at my friend's house.

How do I access the media I consume?

Most of the media I consume is accessed through my smart phone, this includes things such as my social media applications, my films, my music, my TV and even some video games. However, I do also use my laptop to watch films, TV, access internet sites and to listen to music. The other main source of my media is my games console which allows me to play video games, watch TV and films on Netflix and access the sites I use on the internet. I rarely use my DVD player to watch films as I access most of them on demand.