Jean Gautier Perfume Advert

For my Jean Gautier Perfume Advert Practical, I created a luxury-style advert inspired by high-end fragrance campaigns. Using Photoshop, I combined rich textures, warm lighting, and staged props such as red roses and silk fabric, which I organised and photographed, to create an elegant romantic atmosphere. I carefully adjusted the colour balance and shadows to emphasise the golden tones of the perfume bottle and to make the text stand out. The use of serif font adds elegance to the design and creates a polished credible look. The colour change in the writing enhances this effect by drawing attention to the key parts of the caption. My aim was to communicate mystery, reflected in the tagline 'The only secret worth keeping' in reference to the perfume being called Scandal. Overall, this piece showcases my ability to design imagery and construct a professional advertisement.

Southend High School For Girls Advertisement

 

For my Southend High School For Girl's Advert practical assignment, I designed a promotional poster which focused on positivity and academic excellence. I used a range of media and advertising techniques to represent the school positively. I applied emotive advertising by using my photos, which were primarily sourced, to highlight the friendship, diversity and the teacher support that school offers, appealing to both parents and students aspirations. I used direct address through the clear headline 'Academic excellence' which I extracted from the schools website to communicate its values. I used photoshop to edit and allow for a wide spread of images to be displayed along side with the schools colours and logo to help build credibility and recognition. I used the serif font to convey a sense of professionalism and seriousness.  The use of gold symbolizes the prestige of the school and implies that if you were to join you would be treated with upmost respect. I used composition tools, lighting adjustments to mirror real educational marketing materials.

The appeal of horror in media and the entertainment industry

For my first NEA blog I want to research about the horror genre across all types of media and explore the nature of the appeal of horror:

The Enduring Appeal of Horror in Modern Media

Horror has always had a special hold on audiences, but in today’s media landscape its appeal has evolved into something deeper and more immersive. Modern horror does not just rely on monsters or blood. It explores fear as an emotion, an experience, and even a form of storytelling that connects us to our own humanity.

In games like The Mimic, players are placed directly into unsettling environments where every sound and shadow heightens the tension, creating a deeply personal experience of fear. Five Nights at Freddy’s takes a simple idea of being trapped in a haunted pizzeria and turns it into a psychological test of patience, observation, and courage. These games make players active participants in their own nightmares, which makes the fear feel more real and thrilling. 

               

The Last of Us is a powerful example of how horror can blend with emotion and tragedy. It shows that the real terror often comes not from the infected creatures but from the collapse of morality and the struggle to survive. Both the game and its television adaptation use horror to explore themes of love, loss, and the human cost of survival, reminding us that fear can be both terrifying and deeply moving.

Television has also embraced this layered approach to horror. Many modern shows use suspense, complex characters, and moral ambiguity to build tension. Instead of relying only on jump scares, they focus on psychological and emotional storytelling that reflects real-world anxieties such as isolation, corruption, and the fear of the unknown.

The lasting appeal of horror comes from its paradox. It frightens us, but it also excites and challenges us. Horror allows us to confront the things we fear most and, in doing so, helps us understand a little more about ourselves. 

     

  (For more details on this topic click here)

(Here's a video that explains in detail how horror cinema became mainstream)