The hangover poster- generic convention

Genre
The poster for the film, 'the hangover' has connotations that suggest it is a film about a comedy. This is anchored by the fact that there a man carrying a baby with massive sunglasses on and also the quote where it says "some guys just can't handle Vegas". This is also anchored by the text at the top of the poster which says "from the director of 'old school' which is a well known comedy.

Semiotics
The two characters on the poster have a close proximity between them which connotes that they have a strong friendship. There is a bright light between the three older characters which suggest they are the main characters. We see it is a comedy as the man on the right has a tooth missing and is holding ice in a tissue towards his face which suggest he may have been in a fight yet we are unaware of what has happened.

Mise en Scene
We can see all of the main characters on the poster which show attract their individual audiences. The lighting is brighter behind the three main characters an anchorage to those being the main characters. It says it is set in Vegas which is portrayed in the gold colouring at the top and the spot lights. It is stereotypical of Vegas to have big, bright lights.

Harry Potter poster - conventions of

Genre The poster for Harry Potter has connotations that suggest it is a film about wizardry and it is very dark as in terms of gloominess. This is anchored by the fact that the quote at the top of the page says 'The rebellion begins'. We get the idea that the characters are all students as they have uniforms on, where as Harry and Hermione are dressed more casual which could portray the 'rebellion' .

Mise en scene

The image of all of the characters catches by-passers eyes. There is some iconography which helps to reveal the genre of the film and it says something about the film. The image is clear and portrays the narrative of the film. The fact that Harry Potter has a wand in his hand reveals that the film is something to do with wizardry. He is also the centre of attention and the lighting is focused around him, which is due to him being one of the main characters. The two characters at the front are also main ones, which is why they are made to be seen clearly by the audience.

Semiotics
The dark colour for the background of the poster reveals that this film has very mysterious elements. The subheading ‘the rebellion begins’ also backs this up. It makes the audience wonder what this rebellion is, and which character it happens to. The poster shows the characters have a close proximity between . However they are separated onto sides. This could connote that they do have relationship however there could be arguments.

 

The last song poster- generic conventions

Genre The poster for the film, 'the last song' has connotations that suggest it is a film about a romance or love. This is anchored by the fact that there is two people whilst walking hugging along a beach and also the quote where it says "first loves and second chances". This is also anchored by the text at the top of the poster which says "from the author of 'the notebook' and 'a walk to remember' which are also well-known romances.

Semiotics
The two characters on the poster have a close proximity between them on the bottom images as they are hugging, however on the image of two other characters on the top half of the poster connote that they could fall out due to the facial expressions and one having their back turned to the other. There is a bright white light on both of the characters at the top of the poster which is a connotation of mystery and the unknown therefore is leads the audience into wondering what happens between the characters.

Mise en Scene
We can see all of the main characters on the poster which show attract their individual audiences. The two characters in the top image are a lot bigger than those at the bottom which connotes that they are more relevant and seen more in this film. The lighting is also brighter on those two which is also an anchorage to those being the main characters. It is set on the beach, which represents a 'romance' due to the familiarity with other romantic films.

The walking dead DVD cover - conventions of

Genre
The emptiness of the road on the right hand side on the front cover, along with the blood splatter on the back cover would suggest that this is a horror/thriller DVD. As many flee from a town, just one cowboy enters it which suggests he is either the ‘hero’ in the DVD, or the ‘villain’.  

Mise en scene
‘The walking dead’ title is very big and bold at the top, which is very eye-catching for an audience so it will intrigue them to look at this. The colour of the whole DVD cover is very dull, which connotes that there is something bad happening in it. There’s an episode breakdown on the back which gives an insight into what the DVD is about. The man approaching the city seems to be from the rural areas as he is a cowboy, which might mean that he is purely going into the city on work basis, therefore playing the hero.

Semiotics
There aren’t any shown relationships on the DVD cover which will suggest that there is no romance or any bonds formed in it. Although the background is very dull, there is sunlight appearing through the cloud which connotes a happy ending.  

Representations

There are representations of a ghost town on the DVD cover as only one man approaches it. He seems to be a cowboy which is a representation of a traditional man as he is strong etc.

Big Bang Theory DVD cover - conventions of

Genre
The several facial expressions on the three actors on the front side of the DVD cover would anchor the audience to thinking it is a comedy- which it is. For example, Sheldon, who is left on the front cover, has a serious face which implies that he is generally the most serious character. Whereas, Lenard, on the right is smirking which implies that he is funnier than Sheldon is.

Mise en scene
Sheldon and Penny seem to be looking in the same direction on the front cover, while Lenard is looking the complete opposite way. This makes the audience want to know what it is that they are looking at, so they go to buy this DVD.  Having the main characters on the front will entice people to watch the show as each actor will have their own individual fan base therefore they will want to watch them.  The names of the actors are only featured on the back which would suggest that they are well-known or maybe the audience will want to find out what they are like. The background colour is white which is very bold and it also leaves room for imagination in the audience’s minds. There are little images on the background however, which gives an anchorage towards a main theme in the show.

Semiotics
The characters are close together in the images which is a connotation of a good relationship between them. However, it’s not made clear just how close they are or who’s the closest with whom. The way that Leonard is looking at Penny could suggest that there is maybe a relationship or romance between the two.

Representations
On the front cover, all of the actors aren’t that well-dressed. This connotes that they have jobs but they might not be that well paid. However, there is a representation of a geek in Leonard with his glasses, so this might just be how they dress.

Friends DVD cover - conventions of

Genre

The smiling, happy faces on the actors at the top of each side of the DVD cover would anchor the audience to thinking it is a comedy- which it is. Joey, who is second on the front cover, seems to have the biggest smile on each side, implying that he is the funnier character out of them all.

Mise en scene

Images of the actors are running along the top of the DVD cover on both sides which show the importance and dominance of these characters. Also, it will entice people to watch the show as each actor will have their own individual fan base therefore they will want to watch them.  The names of the actors are only featured on the back which would suggest that they are well-known. The text “now with footage you’ve never seen” also helps to intrigue the audience because if they are a fan of the show, then they will want to buy the DVD of it to see what this footage is, who it is about etc. The background colour is a deep blue which is very eye-catching and it also suggests that there is some realistic and, what might be, coldness about it. There is a photo frame with the cast in which says that that they are like a family, close unit in the show.  

Semiotics

The characters are close together in the images which is a connotation of a good relationship between them all. However, it’s not made clear just how close they are or who’s the closest with whom.  

Representations

On the front cover, all of the actors are well dressed. This connotes that they are have money and jobs. But on the back cover, they aren’t all in their best suits which connotes the reality the show is based upon and perhaps struggles they might face.

 

Focus group

I asked five questions to five people based on my script to find out whether the script needed any improvements.
The questions I asked were:
1) Tell me what you know about PC Brookes.
2) What is this episode about?
3) Describe Francesca
4) Describe Francescas relationship with her family members which were in the episode
5) Describe the relationship between PC Brookes and PC Rowe.

Feedback 1
1) PC Brookes seems to be very dominant and strict. She likes to be in charge.
2) There has been a murder and someone is trying to pass it off as an accident. A man is then talking with the murderer and is persuaded to tell someone who is close to the victim it was an accident.
3) Francesca seems to be madly in love and jealous to be able to kill someone.
4) Francesca doesn't seem to be close with her mother as she chose to ring her brother rather than her mum. Her brother doesn't really seem to trust her.
5) PC Brookes is in charge, she doesn't like PC Riley very much by the looks of things.

Feedback 2
1) PC Brookes is very demanding and seems to expect a lot from others.
2) A character called Francesca runs over somebody. The police are very determined to fix the case and get straight to work straight away. Kate must be very close to Adam.
3) There isn't much to know about Francesca.
4) We know that Francesca isn't close to her family as her brother seemed untrustworthy when she rang him.
5) PC Brookes seems to be an older, more experienced character compared to PC Riley who is less experienced.

Feedback 3
1) PC Brookes likes to be in charge because she appears bossy.
2) Somebody was ran over, appears to be purposely. The police are investigating it.
3) Francesca doesn't seem to be in a good state of mind if she needs to kill somebody over jealousy.
4) Francesca either isn't close to her family because she didn't ring her mum in time of need or she doesn't want to disappoint her mother, showing she has a lot of respect for her.
5) PC Brookes is very strict, unaware if male or female at first. PC Riley respects PC Brookes but gets bossed around.

Feedback 4
1) PC Brookes is very good at her job- straight to the point.
2) Francesca runs over somebody over jealousy. The police are involved and get straight to work straight away.
3) Francesca is very spiteful and jealous.
4) Francesca isn't close to her family as her brother seemed weary of her.
5) PC Brookes seems to be more experienced than PC Riley.

Feedback 5
1) PC Brookes appears to be bossy.
2) A man was ran over horrifically. The police are investigating it within minutes.
3) Francesca doesn't seem to be mentally well.
4) Francesca might not want to disappoint her mother so she didn't ring her when she was in jail.
5) PC Brookes is very strict and bossy. PC Riley and PC Brookes don't really get along.

From this feedback, I will improve my script. This will include editing it so that it's more clear what gender PC Brookes is and by making the tension between Francesca and her family a bit more clear.