2. How effective is the combination of you main product and ancillary texts?

The trailer, poster and website are all linked because of the branding of the title. It is all written in the same font and the same colour, making the audience realise that all three are linked. The colour and font conform to the codes and conventions of the horror genre, as the usual font is red and dripping like blood. Our font is similar to this, on a black background in a very simple font, making the title stand out. This makes the audience immediately know what the genre of the film is.

The poster, trailer and website all show the villain’s face and a knife. The villain’s face is always concealed, so the audience never get a clear picture of him. The knife is also consistent throughout, suggesting that it plays a big part in the actual film.

The website plays the trailer automatically, which doesn’t give the audience a chance to escape. They do not choose to play the video, it plays for them without giving the audience a choice. The loading bar is red on black, giving the audience an idea of the genre before they even get to the main website.

The poster shows sweat and blood on the villain’s face, which is slightly concealed, showing that this character is mysterious, and the audience should be wary of him. He might even be the cause of the deaths seen in the trailer. There is a lot of black space at the top of the poster, which leaves room for the audience’s mind to wander, and leave them wondering what might happen in the film. The branding of the title is seen again, and the theme of red-on-black continues. The small list of directors, editors and actors and the release date is all seen on the poster, which is consistent of posters and also of the horror genre.


The main task shows many codes and conventions of the thriller genre. There is a chase, although it is not a main element of the teaser trailer, fast paced editing, there is an element of surveillance, through the camera angles. The audience are witnessing the party through the eyes of the villain. There are also micro-elements for the genre, such as blood and a knife for the horror sub-genre.

The trailer shows many codes and conventions of the slasher horror genre. There is fast faced editing in the death scenes and a lot is filmed in darkness. However, other films of this genre suggest that the set-up of the main action should be filmed in the light, and the actual main action, such as death scenes, should be filmed in near-darkness. We have subverted codes and conventions by reversing this. However, this does not affect the branding, as it is still a typical slasher horror.

The trailer, poster and website are all different, obviously, and show different images and different aspects of the film, but all are linked through branding. They are all obviously of the slasher horror genre as they show a similar style.