Evaluation:Presentation and Outcome
This is the link to the video of our presentation. I think this went very well and it was greatly detailed as we had very little questions that were asked as we included everything involved in the process of the trailer and he print products and why we chose certain things.
http://beth-a2-media.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/presentation-again.html
Plan: Titles and Location
This is the email received from the forrest in which we will be shooting in
Evaluation: What have you learned from audience feedback
From the audience feedback I have done a commentary on the results I have received on both verbally and written. These are some of the questionnaires I had completed, in total I had 15 complete but I have uploaded 3 which I think gives a more overview and more detailed response to the questions. I have gone into detail in the commentary but here is a general write up of the responses.
I found that of the poster it was a very positive response with the use of mystery image and immediate link tot he trailer with the image being used from the scene. In general the magazine was given good feedback but I think that more detailed could have been added about the actual film such as actors or release date. The trailer in general was given positive feedback with a number of people saying that the plot was very interesting in order to form a sense of debate, this means that the improvement of the narrative was essential in portraying the message we wanted in general for the three products. All the audience feedback shows a strong link was portrayed across the three products and this meant that the audience knew they were the same.
Evaluation: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
For the project in terms of the media technologies we used a number of different software that was used for the creation of the video and the print products. Photoshop was used through the project for the print products of the trailer which include a front page of a film magazine and the poster for the actual film. This resulted in a number of different versions for these to be created before the final version was created. Along with this Premier was used in order to create the trailer by adding the footage to the software and editing it together by also adding effects to the trailer in order to meet the codes and conventions.
As Beth did the majority of print products and editing there were a number of skills we used in order to get the effect we wanted for them. Here is the process of the mag and poster
This was the two colours we decided upon for the first magazine draft. I feel the titles used in this draft were a little big and therefore was a reason to why we changed it. However next in the process was getting the image in which again caused a lot of issues as we felt that it just didn't flow and the image also looked to big for the rest of the titles. There was no link between the magazine and trailer and therefore we decide to change it. This was the image that we changed.
After this we decided to start the magazine again, as there was a delay in getting the image Beth began to add the titles and outline of the magazine to which we could just then add the image to once we had it.
This is the outline of the magazine created
The image was then added to the magazine with a very effective colouring used of black and red.
For the poster a number of techniques were used with the use of red release date being the only colours used int eh trailer. I know a lot of effort was taken in order to get the dusty and mysteric effect to the image with a number of black smooches used not the frame. The use of conventions in normal poster of how the actors and directors are listed at the bottom was also included and the white font emphasised this further with the black back ground.
Colour was taken out from the original image in order to make it black and white.
Through the production and filming stage the original script included a flashback at the start of the trailer which would have a static sort of effect. In order for this to work I decide to look how this would work in the filming process. As i had the latest version of Premier Pro at home I decided to look into how this worked. We wanted to make a static grey effect like a TV. I looked how this could be done where I had to start with a grey matte effect and built up the colour on this. This was then edited by adding a number of dots to the trailer and the noise was then included. However as we changed having the flashback in the trailer because the narrative of it did not follow and therefore this effect was not used. I learned a number of ideas from doing this effect and using this media technology for the trailer.
For the evaluation Premier Pro was also used for the back stage footage of the trailer. The back stage footage was filmed while filming for the trailer where a number of interviews and re-takes have been taken. Within this there was a number of editing with titles of who each character was and the location of the back stage footage. This task meant that extra filming was done in order to meet the process of a real life media product where a number of back stage interviews and re-takes would be done.
The camera and tripod were also used in the production process, the tripod was also initial used much more than was used in the AS project which lacked flow because a tripod was not used as much as it could have. The camera was used throughout in order to film the trailer and the back stage footage. The tripod was used a lot more than in the AS project and was also used properly when we reshot some footage in the February holidays. This resulted in a much smoother flow of the footage which allowed the original shaky effects to be less visually in the trailer. This then resulted in the camerawork as a whole becoming a lot better. The production stage of this meant that the editing of it was done in a better way regarding the types of place in which the trailer was shot, this required a number of the editing effects to be much better in terms of the way they were set up in trailer.
This is the link to the original trailer before we reshot and i could generally see the difference between the camera work then and in the final one which is much better. The narrative is also much better in the final as we felt there was no sense within this trailer for the audience to be convinces to go and watch the trailer.
http://mannya2.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/footage.html
Blogger was used in throughout the project by commenting on research done, in the planning process it was used to communicate with actors and the directors of call sheets and production. It was used in order to justify why each plan was made and linked back to research. In the production process it was used a number of times in order to get feedback on the process of print and video products. And also in the evaluation it was used to upload outcomes and feedback.
I asked a number of people to view my trailer and also receive a number of feedback i terms of the what they thought of the trailer.
Here is the feedback
www.facebook.maanny%20feedback/
Evaluation: How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
In terms of the trailer and the print products I think the effectiveness of them combining is at a very good level. Firstly the use of the main character within the trailer has been used between the poster and the magazine cover as the main image, which will immediately allow the audience to link these to the trailer. Also along the way we decided to make use of the titles in the trailer and use them in the magazine and poster; the use of the Deranged in the trailer is the same font used in the magazine. The poster also links further to the trailer in terms of the image used as it is from the trailer. The forest scene in the trailer has a slow motion effect and a blur to the camera work; this is the exact image used for the poster making it even more effective as a real media product in which the audience will immediately recognise.
The trailer and print products also make use again of the same colour scheme convention of red, black and white used in horror films. This again makes the package as a whole very effective in attracting the audience in terms of them remembering the trailer and print through the colours. The trailer and poster also make uses of the same tagline which we found in research was one of the main conventions of a poster and magazine. We decided to add this to the trailer in order to form a follow of the ancillary text and the main product. I feel that these work well together and the use of an scene as an image for the poster along with the effect of black and white challenges the conventions of real media products as it forms a sense of mystery in which we want to appear in order for the audience to form their own opinion on the issue we are trying to portray; whether a Childs behaviour is justified in certain circumstances such as killing others when your parents have passed away in this case. This is the general message we wanted to portray and this can be seen as a mystery film from the editing used in the poster and magazine.
Audience Feedback
In terms of audience feedback we found that a lot of people liked the aspect of using the main character and this worked well for them to release it was for the trailer. They especially considered the poster as the typical ancillary product of a trailer with the use of scene from the trailer to as the image. I will look into this more in the audience feedback but a number of people said the slow motion edit used in the trailer at this scene immediately made them think of the poster which I feel is a very effective approach in linking the print products and the trailer. I think the linking of this meant it was an efficient approach and would in real life be a successful campaign in order to attract audiences to watch the film and also be reminded of it throughout the print products.
Evaluation: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Initially at the start of the start of the project we decided upon a horror/thriller as we found from the research done that this was the most popular genre and also most common in the current films being released. We also felt this would allow use to develop out our own skills and also be more creative with camera work and narrative. The thought of a child character being the main actor within the film then came into the trailer when we were researching horror trailers such as the ‘The Orphan’ and ‘The Children’. We looked into this as to how the child was portrayed as the villain within the film. Through this we looked to use the conventions of a number of different trailers such as the use of darkness throughout the trailer and also isolation in terms of the location we used being a forest. We found when researching that a number of physiological child thrillers had at some point a close death or incident to which led the child to be how they were. This in most of the researched films such as the ‘The Orphan’ then became a justification to the audience of why and how the child is like that not making them so much of a villain.
Before beginning our trailer we also did a mini trailer which involved a horror theme, we only had about an hour to film this but this did allow use to develop and look further into how this trailer could fit into a real media product. This included a number of shots such as a high angle shot with a girl screaming.
The start of the trailer we looked at a range of shots in terms of camera work however the narrative of the trailer did not flow which meant we needed to film a lot more. This process meant that me and Beth both looked into how other trailer plan by attracting the audience with a sensible plot but not giving the whole trailer away. This i found especially in the Let Me In trailer which showed the beginning and middle but the audience were left in suspense of the end in the film.
The trailer looks to use and develop conventions with the contrast of the beginning and the end: appearing as light and dark and also happy and sad. This immediately also looks towards narrative theory of Levis Stratus having a contrast of conventions in the trailer. Other conventions used from real life products is the fast pace shots especially in the end of the trailer in order to attract the audience. I found this was in a number of researched trailers especially with the horror genre such as The Omen and The Children. The trailer also developed the conventions of colour by portraying the use of red, black and white also found in research. The trailer also looks to make use of real life conventions of the horror genre where by the use of blood throughout the trailer, I found this in a number of researched trailers such as The Children.
The Omen when researched showed a happy family at the start and I decided to use this convention of contrast between the beginning and the end through a light and dark stage. In our trailer we also look to a happy family at the start where a title is also used in order for the audience to make sense of this. Through the research i found that a number of trailers used the production logo at the start in which we have also decided to develop this convention in out trailer.
The use of a white production logo has been used and the titles have kept with the red and black conventions used in horror films.
The use of blood was inspired by this research of the The Children film.This is the start of the trailer of a happy family
This shot was an inspiration into the dripping of blood on used against the window of our trailer.
This shot is where the narrative of a happy family came from the film The Omen
The forrest shot has a number of editing with slow motion and also shots on top of each other. One of them had a hint of red in it in order to again emphasise the death and the blood. The forest was researched in the plan where a number of conventions suggested a isolated location in to which a horror trailer was filmed. 
These two are the researched and the actual shot within the trailer used. The use of red to portray the general colour of the trailer was used from this film. The shot taken of the window was used in order to emphasise the blood and death in which the young boy was currently doing in that stage of the trailer.
From this it shows that a number of conventions have been used in the trailer in terms of horror genre in order to meet a real life media product. I feel that the conventions used a appropriate in order to show the audience it is a trailer, to keep them attracted and appeal to watch the film but also not give the full story away in which a trailer is supposed to do; give a snapshot of the actual film.
However I wanted to challenge this convention by adding a more unique twist to is which can be seen in our presentation as to how we have portrayed this. We looked to make the audience feel sympathetic to the boy at the start but then start to become threatened of the child. This challenges the real issue of whether this sort of behaviour of child is acceptable in today’s society and allows the audience to decide their own opinion on how they portray the young boy. Towards the end of the trailer the audience become surprised when the mother reappears forcing them to initially think the child is a villain but then look to watch the film in order to decide upon who the villain is. This was a convention we wanted to challenge in order to portray a good and bad side to one person but also bring out to the audience a issue which could be discussed. This convention I confidently believe for a real life media product would be the cause as to why the audience would go and watch the film after seeing this trailer in order to solve this issue of who is the villain and further into whether this behaviour is acceptable of any person regardless of the circumstances they are in.
The poster firstly uses the codes and conventions for a horror film by the use of the main character at the centre of the poster which was taken from The Orphan. The use of actors names, date of release and also the tagline was also used amoung the conventions of a poster. However we wanted to challenge these conventions in which we have formed a black and white poster which also links in with the trailer with the aspect of going from light to dark in the beginning and end of the trailer.
This is our first poster which we found lacked meeting the conventions of a horror film which meant that we decided to restart but use the same image for the poster of the main character. It also didn't have any information of the film such as when it will be released or the actors names.
This is out final which we used conventions of actors names and also the same font was used within eh trailer in order to link them. The use of red, black and white again was used in the conventions but also challenged by having the release date only in red in order to attract the audience. This challenged the real life media posters by having a simple colour poster but which is also effective in linking to the trailer and still appealing to the audience.
The magazine used conventions by including big text and a main image which would be the key focus of the magazine. Initially the image used did not portray the film and this therefore did not link to the trailer. We then changed the image to the main character and the use of conventions in terms of red, black and white text has again been used. The magazine also challenges codes and conventions of horror as the image is not at all gory but more of mystery sense to the magazine which is also linked to the blur and edit used to form a mystery in the poster also. These therefor link together.
This is the final magazine cover
In terms of linking back to research to show the conventions used in order real life media these are some of the comments i blogged when evaluating each print product and trailer.
This is for the 'The Orphan'
For the trailer we will produce I have found that the font and image of a poster and magazine needs to link with the trailer otherwise it can look like 2 completely different films. The conventions of this film such as the use of a number and faster pace of a scream can be used for our trailer in order to build tension. The use of titles in the trailer is also very important so that the audience can make sense of what’s happening in the film.
This is 'The Children'
From this research I am now completely assured that red as a font, background and colour has a lot of effect on the genre the audience perceive. I feel some of the techniques in this trailer may be a bit more than we require for ours as we are aiming for a lower certificate than an 18.
This is 'The Omen'
From this trailer I have found that the use of red is a key convention in any psychological horror film and so I suggest me and Beth use this within our trailer. The use of blood on titles or even the distribution logo informs the audience of the genre of the film immediately. I also feel that the conventions of sound need to be emphasised with the use of screams to represent danger and pain. This will definitely be used in out trailer and I also really liked the editing technique used of putting the distribution logo in the middle of the trailer rather than the beginning; it looks more unique. However I feel that there is very little connection between the trailer and poster and therefore in out trailer we need to think carefully of how the main product will link to the ancillary products and be successful in the audience knowing they link.
This is 'Jennifers Body'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)