Digital technology essay

Digital Media Technology involves the use of technology to create digital content such as Images, video and audio. Utilising digital media technology can support creativity, as the internet can provide us with examples of real media texts, we are not restricted by materials, and we can implement interactive elements which were impossible through traditional media methods. Throughout my time as a media student I have gained a much wider range of skills in Digital media software such as photoshop, indesign and Final Cut Pro. For example, I am now able to add textures and filters to images, animate and develop fonts.

For my preliminary task, the influences of digital media on my work was limited as I was unfamiliar with the softwares. However, digital media technology allowed me to research examples of existing publications via the internet to help inspire my idea. I also used a camera to take my imagery. Unlike in my later tasks, there was a lack of adjustments to my Images, and instead chose to spend more time developing and formatting text/graphics.

Looking back on my preliminary task, my experimentation with fonts, imagery and colour scheme allowed me to evaluate what worked and what didn’t in preparation to the creation of my AS Magazine.

By the time I began work on my AS Magazine, I had gained a wider range of skills in digital media technology. For example, I now had a better understanding of camera angles/lighting which I put into consideration when shooting my imagery. I was then able to adjust this imagery on photoshop using a wide range of tools such as the spot removal, blending and blur tools.

My development in use of digital media technology allowed me to express my creativity better, as I was now more comfortable with the software, I am able to achieve my desired outcome more successfully (e.g. use of textures/fonts etc.) but my more in depth analyis of existing products found on the internet did narrow down my design choices, as my aim was still to create a conventional music magazine.

For my A2 trailer, I was able to further expand on the skills gained over the last year. For example, I have picked up new skills in photoshop such as the ability to produce animated graphics for my transitions and titles, a better understanding of cameras and lighting and the introduction to editing software (final cut pro) allowing for sound design, transitions and more.

Experimentation with basic video editing on IMovie allowed for my group to reflect on what worked successfully/unsuccessfully to improve on in our final trailers. The internet also helped us to find scripts which we adapted into our own trailers.

RMT essay

In media texts, conventions play an important role in allowing the audience to be able to recognise the genre of the text. Conventions can also be broken as a response to the predictability of use of these elements in a genre, or to stand out from other products of the genre, potentially developing the genre further.

In AS, my brief was to create a music magazine focusing on a genre of our choice. To complete this successfully, I had to identify conventions in magazines related to the genre of my chosen genre (rock music) as well as the conventions of magazine design. This research was essential to the creation of my final outcome, as it allowed me to recognise the elements which are used to make my publication recognisable as part of it’s genre, and how conventions such as boosts/cover lines help to gain interest from an audience. For instance, looking at ‘Classic rock’ and ‘Rocksound’ Magazines helped me to identify the conventional colour schemes of rock magazines (both used gold, red, black and white.) as well as the type of shots used for the images and the sorts of costumes/props which are used. While my magazine took heavy influence from these publications, I did however break some conventions to add a personalised touch to my project. For example, rather than focusing on an established artist, my cover focused on an upcoming indie artist, as well as the use of diamond graphics (boosts, bullet points etc.) as a unique theme of my publication.

In my year 13 film promotion excercise, I made a horror movie trailer/poster/magazine. In order to do this I had to investigate conventions of horror and it’s many sub-genres, such as stock characters/situations, weapons and costumes and setting. I also investigated trailer structures and promotion methods.

For this trailer, we based the included elements of existing horror films to create a product that is instantly recognisable as part of that genre. However, our trailers carry our own personal representations of these concepts, and the settings reflect those of our everyday lives. A general audience have not necessarily explored London themselves, and our edgy unsettling representation of the area subverts the false reality which is often presented in existing films.

Through my research into the conventions of media texts, I have developed as a media producer, as I am now able to understand why these elements are conventions of their respective genres, and what the intended meanings/responses from the audience are. I am now a able to implement this knowledge into my own projects to create an identifiable or unique take on an existing genre.

Research and planning essay

How have you developed in your Research & Planning skills across the 2 years?

For the first project at the beginning of the year, we were se the task of creating a College Magazine, which we delved straight into the development without any research/planning on existing magazines/their conventions beforehand. Going in blind to creating this product allowed for a level of creativity, as I had the freedom to implement elements of my choice, rather than restricting myself to conventional design choices. However, this limited knowledge of conventions resulted in an unprofessional final outcome, and if I had a wider knowledge of conventions I would have been able to include elements I was previously unaware of the importance of.

For my second project/The main project of the year, I designed and produced a new music magazine called 'Rockstop' for the Rock music genre aimed at a target audience of white males aged 25-45. Throughout the course of this project, I developed skills in the use of conventions/Iconography to create a visually appealing product, and to allow the audience to recognise the genre of the publication.

At the beginning of this project, I had a limited knowledge of the conventions of magazines and their significance to producing an effective design. However, as I began to examine existing Music/rock magazines, I began to recognise the conventions of the genre, and magazines in genre, as well as how Imagery, Graphics and wording is used to attract my target audience to my product. This included using striking dominant images, intriguing/persuasive writing in boosts/cover lines and use of colour schemes and textures associated with the genre of the publication, based on existing products. To research the conventions of my chosen genre (rock music) I picked up a range of Rock music magazines such as UNCUT, Rocksound and NME, as well as a range of covers found on the internet such as a cover of classic rock, which my final outcome was heavily inspired by. This research helped me to establish my colour scheme of predominantly gold, black and white, as well as the type of shot and props used for my dominant image, as these closely resembled many of these products, allowing for a consumer to identify this product as part of the rock genre. While this product was still heavily influenced by existing products, overall this outcome had a higher level of creativity due to the freedom to choose the genre of music, mainly based on personal tastes, and our improved knowledge of InDesign/Photoshop and magazine conventions allowed for a much more unique and developed product.

For my second year, I developed a Film trailer, poster and magazine as part of the horror genre. By the beginning of this year, I already had a wide knowledge of the conventions of magazines, as well as how camera, editing, sound and mise-en-scene are used, which allowed us to have an idea of the aim of our projects, and implement the skills we have gained at a much more professional level. Overall, we have a much deeper focus on our research and planning, and developed final products influenced by the horror genre, rather than recreating an existing product with our own personal changes, as we are developing a trailer based on an unused film script rather than recreating an existing film. While you could argue that our creativity is still restricted by the script and horror conventions, in our case we altered the unconventional inclusion of a male victim and instead gave the story our own twist, by replacing this character with a more conventional female victim.

In comparison to our music magazine, there has been a much higher level of planning for our horror project, as we were required to gain permission to, and visit our filming locations, while for my magazine I only took a few shots, which were mainly taken very local to where I live. I have also viewed a wide range of horror films/trailers which I have paid much more focus to the complete product, rather than the focus on design choices when I examined my music magazines. While in our last year, I learnt why conventions are used, however this year I have looked much closer at the origins and developments of these conventions over time, and the deeper meanings/connotations of their use.

Overall, I have drastically improved as a Post-Modern Media Producer, as I am no longer simply a consumer of media products, as I have gained the ability to understand the uses of codes and conventions on a much deeper level, and am now able to implement these skills and ideas into my own works. As well as this my views on what makes something creative have been altered, as I am now aware that the act of production in its self is creative, despite being restricted to a set of conventions/inspiration from existing products, as whatever we produce is our personal take on the subject matter.

500 word essay on creativity

The development of technology over time has played an important role in the ability to produce and market media products. Nowadays, our smartphones have the ability to shoot and edit high quality video and produce and edit soundtracks. Modern internet capabilities allow for uploading videos through video hosting sites such as YouTube, and market products through social networking sites. this also allows for a new level of interactivity with the audience, as they are given the freedom to share their opinions and fan-made projects based on an existing product. Nowadays, consumers are no longer restricted to blindly consuming products, as the internet gives individuals the ability to become their own producers, using the software which is made accessible through modern technology. This process was much more difficult and costly in the past, as video cameras weren’t as widely available, and platforms such as YouTube were not available to host your content on.


Creativity is the act of producing something new or reinterpreting an existing concept. Some may argue that it is not creative to create a piece of media based on an existing text, however what makes A project creative, is how the creator applies their own personal take on an existing subject matter. The same applies to our horror trailers, as while we are restricted to the horror genre, and will predominantly be focusing on implementing codes and conventions of horror in correlation to real media texts, our trailers will carry and portray our own personalised take on the genre through how we as an audience have interpreted these conventions, and inclusion of locations which reflect our urban London lives, through imagery of London’s edgier qualities, something a general audience may not have necessarily experienced, which may have also been ignored in representations of London in other existing media texts. (Typically by those who haven’t truly expierienced London life.)


For something to lack creativity is to directly copy the form and structure of an existing product. This perception of creativity suggests that our AS Media magazine covers were not creative products, due to our very direct inspiration from a small selection of magazines. However a level of creativity was still applied to these products as we were given the ability to choose the musical genre, (generally based on personal taste) and we also produced original imagery, publication name and interviews, albeit based on conventions of existing products.

Throughout my time studying media studies, I have greatly developed from a consumer who experimented with producing media products for fun, to someone who understands and recognises the conventions of media products and how they are used to target specific demographics. I have also gained skills in a wide range of digital software such as Adobe photoshop to enhance and adjust photos and graphics, As well as Adobe Indesign, which allows me to create professional magazine pages. This year, I have also learnt how to edit videos and sound using Apple Final Cut Pro, which I will make use of in my final trailer.

Media language essay

In my group’s final horror film trailer, which focuses on a young female victim who fears leaving her own home and has failed to do so for the last 15 years, after the murder of her mother, whilst experiencing consistent unexplained occurrences, we aim to include a wide range of media language to allow the audience to break down and understand the intended meanings of our text, and allow audience interpretation.

An example of media texts we plan to include are ‘technical codes.’ This text focuses on the ways camera and editing have been used to create meaning. For example, high angle shots are typically used to depict a vulnerable victim, as this creates the feeling that the character is being looked down upon, or that they are smaller/inferior. In contrast, low angle shots are used for the opposite effect, as they present a character as powerful/dominant through the way they are looking downwards upon the viewer. This type of shot is generally used for the antagonist/ a powerful character. Close-up and extreme close-up shots are also used to create a sense of claustrophobia/present the emotion of fear. Editing also plays a role in technical codes, such as the use of fades/cuts to black, which allow connotation of death/evil based on concepts related to the colour black.

Symbolic codes relate to how colours and iconography are used to create a message in a media text. for example, red is commonly used in horror to represent blood, a link to death/violence which is a common theme in slasher/splatter movies, as well as black which carries connotations of death/evil which is contrasted with white which represents purity/innocence to create a binary opposition. Iconography of horror includes weapons such as knives, which are phallic objects, often used to give an antagonist a sense of male power/dominance over a typically female victim, as well as masks, used to hide the identity of a character, dolls/clowns which are typically associated with children/innocence, but are twisted to suggest a loss of innocence.

audio codes are used to decode meaning from the choice of sounds used in a horror trailer, for example the use of distorted music box/fairground music explores the idea of loss of childhood innocence, as this music’s original intention was children’s entertainment. Music is also used to suggest emotion such as fear, through once slow/calm music speeding up or increasing in volume.

Written codes are based on the messages portrayed via text in a trailer. This could relate to the text’s visual style : e.g. a the convention of a broken/worn out font could suggest the victim’s ‘damage’ from their experiences throughout the film’s story. It can also relate to the written words in a film’s slogan.

While the codes I have mentioned serve to carry a meaning, the theorists : Barthes and de Saussure suggests that without context these codes carry no meaning. For example, the inclusion of horror conventions must carry relevance to the theme of the text. If a film contains iconography of dolls, but fails to relate to the concept of loss of childhood innocence, the iconography has lost its intended meaning.

Audience essay

The theory of the Hypodermic needle suggests that the consumption of media texts has a (typically negative) effect or influence on the audience, through the ‘injection’ of messages. The audience react passively to this, as they are unable to reject influence. However, audiences can also have beneficial reactions through this model, for instance, the 1938 broadcast of ‘The War of the worlds’ provoked fear in it’s American audience, resulting in research movements. The effects of the hypodermic model take place in our summer trailer through the message of a negative representation of teens who suffer from mental health conditions. While this message was unintentional, our trailer presents a character with an exaggerated lack of control, who unleashes her inner evil which can only be managed through use of medication. This is an unrealistic representation of teens with mental health issues, which an audience could come to believe after viewing our film/trailer.

The Uses and gratifications theory suggests that different people have their own personal purposes for consuming a media text, whether that be as a form of escapism from everyday life or to provoke an emotion/response etc. In the case of the horror genre, audiences often view these media texts to receive thrills which we lack in our everyday lives such as fear, mystery, violence and a face-off between good and evil. Alternatively, the target demographic of horror (ages 15-25) may find themselves identifying the characters presented in the text, through the focus on characters of a similar age range. This theory could apply to our summer trailer through our trailer’s attempt to indicate an emotional response from the audience, through the focus on our character’s tragic lifestyle and transformation, and the build up of tension and mystery. However, our trailer falls flat through our lack of details on the character’s back-story, giving the audience no reason to care or sympathise with the character, and overall lack of action/violence, failing to create a sense of thrill.

The desentisisation theory suggests that consistent exposure to graphic content results in the loss of sensitivity to the viewer. This can result in negative effects such as the loss of shock in response to violence in the real world. This theory applies to the horror genre due to the genre’s focus on violence/graphic content, most notably in the slasher/splatter sub-genres. While an audience is usually disturbed by the content of these films, the target demographic of people aged 15-25 are able to separate fiction from reality, which is why these films are not recommended for a younger audience as they may have a stronger emotional impact on minds that are less exposed to these concepts. In our summer trailer we have failed to include this theory due to our trailer’s overall lack of graphic content, and as a result failing to focus on the genre’s target demographic of 15-25 year olds as most of the trailer’s content would fail to thrill a typically desensitised audience.

The catharsis theory suggests that the implementation of violence in films is used by the audience to ‘cleanse’ negative emotions e.g. anger or fear, as viewing violence helps to neutralise the viewer’s urge to commit similar actions.
This theory applies to horror, due to the genre’s heavy focus on violence, especially so in the slasher/splatter sub-genres, meaning that viewers who consume media products to create a cathartic effect are likely to choose these films due to their content. Their inner urge to perform these actions, can allow these viewers to relate more to the antagonist, who typically act upon their desires. I believe that our summer trailer is ineffective at producing a cathartic effect in terms of violence, due to it’s overall lack of graphic content, but may carry cathartic effects related to depression/anxiety, which are an important aspect of the character, and something many people can relate to.

The Cultivation theory suggests that overconsumption of media products can begin to cause consumers to fail to separate the real world from worlds presented in the media, resulting in people’s actions and choices corresponding with those presented in the media. This can have negative effects such as overestimation of levels of violence in their communities and the world. In context of horror films, without the ability to differentiate the fictional exaggerated situations of horror films with real world problems, a viewer is much more likely to have a longer lasting emotional impact. Our trailer relates to this theory through it’s unrealistic representation of teens with mental health issues, which could be misinterpreted as an accurate depiction, potentially resulting in a negative impact how on those who suffer from these conditions are treated.

Representation essay

Sarah Dobb’s Theories of feminism in horror suggests that many horror films, primarily slashers include female victims, with a primary focus on the character’s looks, rather than playing an important role in the plot. These are referred to as ‘Scream Queens’, and are used primarily to appeal to horror’s primarily male audience. This could link back to the theme of teen punishment, as these characters are targeted for their sexually provocative nature, which is seen as sinful by Christians. Iconic scream queens include Psycho’s Janet Leigh, who was victimized whilst naked in the shower. The fact that she was attacked using a knife, which is a phallic object wielded by a male antagonist could be used to connote rape. Our character in our summer trailer shares traits associated with scream queens such as vulnerability, and consistent screams for help. However, as she runs low on medication she becomes her own antagonist, and presents a sense of ‘Male dominance’ over her pure self with the use of a knife (phallic object) as a weapon, similar to Psycho’s Norman Bates.

Clover’s theory of the final girl suggests that at the end of a slasher film, one female survives to face off against the (typically male) antagonist, and has usually avoided the actions taken by the other victims such as drug use, sex before marriage etc. Presenting her as pure and innocent. Iconic final girl characters include Alien (1979)’s Ellen Ripley, who finishes off the alien antagonist who killed and impregnated the other members of the crew, which similarly to psycho, connotes rape. Unlike Janet Leigh however, Ripley was able to stand up against the threat, something even the other males were unable to do. Our character shares similarities to the final girl trope, as she is pure and innocent, and for the resolution of our summer trailer’s film, we intended for our character to face off against her inner evil and succeed, however to be a true final girl our protagonist would have to be the last survivor of a group, yet ours was a singular protagonist.

Themes of religion and sexuality are explored through Derry’s theory of haunting sand demonic possession, as he believes that that the concept of possession carries sexual connotations as the evil forces are typically males taking control over a female body. Religious symbols such as crucifixes are commonly used to ward off evil spirits. The transformation of an innocent young girl into a demon possessed monster connotes the theme of loss of innocence. An example of an iconic possessed girl character is The Exorcist’s Reagan MacNeil. She goes against Christian morals by her demonic actions and foul mouth. While the concept of possession hasn’t been explored in our trailer, it shares similarities due to our character’s lack of control of their own body. 

Gramsci’s theory of The Hegemonic model suggests that dominant groups in society maintain the ‘spontaneous consent’ or subordinate groups to keep their dominance in society. The ideas of hegemony work through ideologies : narrow views of elements of real life. our summer trailer includes elements of hegemony, such as the use of dolls as a prop, as these are typically toys for girls. However, it goes against hegemony for a teenager to be playing with toys intended for children, and our character is also given a sense of Male power through the wielding of the knife, a phallic object.

Derry’s theory of the human monster deals with the evil within a character, or insanity, giving the viewer more details on the inner workings of the antagonist’s mind, allowing us to sympathise with the trauma of their past. this concept is explored in our summer trailer through our protagonist becoming insane after running out of her medication. This makes her both the protagonist and antagonist, as she has to fight against her own inner evil.