Evaluation

I have really enjoyed this project and gained a huge amount of knowledge and skills that I can transfer and use in the future.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
All of my products have been created and designed using a combination of ideas, inspiration and common conventions. I used my knowledge, researched and studied conventions that I then employed into my work to create a promotional package that looks authentic and professional. I created my own distributor and studio logos to enhance the professionalism of my products. I also added conventions and ideas of my own to my products which challenge the common conventions such as the stylized cuts in my trailer, which is not common in horror trailers. I have researched and watched hours of trailers relating to my film in genre, sub-genre and that what I initially wanted to express.

My magazine front cover is a Halloween special issue because my film genre is horror. My images relate to the genre mainly due to costume and the low key mise-en-scene. I feel I have made a good choice of image selection because of these elements that help to connotate the film genre. I used red as the main colour because of its connotations to blood and horror, I also used orange which has connotations to pumpkins and Halloween. Yellow and white were also used because they compliment the red and orange and help to break elements up, if everything was red my piece would be boring and not aesthetically pleasing. I used red for all my main elements such as masthead and film title because these need to stand out the most. I used the puff word 'FREE' in white on red which is eye catching and helps to draw attention to my magazine. When selecting a font design I wanted a clean readable font and on that related to the film title and has connotations to my chosen genre. The layout of my ancillary texts flow and help the eye read it more comfortably descending down the page. I placed the bar code and price at the top of the page which is an unusual convention as they more commonly appear in the bottom right corner, this is because when I personally go to buy a magazine I like to see the price as I know how expensive magazines can be. Placing the bar code and price at the top means you can see it without having to take the magazine off the shelf, I feel this is far more efficient and benifical to customers.

During my trailer I incorporated conventions such as a slow beginning and mysterious ending. There is not much dialogue because the killer doesn't speak, this enhances the mysterious and eerie atmosphere to the trailer. I created the soundtrack using Soundtrack and composed a piece containing eerie synths and drum beats building in rhythm and pace to a dramatic end. I watched this Official Teaser Trailer for Saw 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fESPYUZdbY8 which shows the conventions in a soundtrack for the Horror genre however the images challenge conventions as they are displayed in a different manner and from a different perspective. I also used the Halloween 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHslouUNi00 and Nightmare on Elm Street http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQnoIq4UFY trailers during my research to help inspire me and highlight key conventions. I edited my piece using Final Cut, edits I used include: Fade in/fade out, simple cuts, altering brightness and contrast, stylized cuts (I feel this are very successful at creating tension and challenge conventions within real texts), and removing images that decrease the efficiency and continuity of the trailer.

How effective is the combination of your main product (Teaser Trailer) and your ancillary texts (Poster & Front Cover)?
The combination of my main product (Teaser Trailer) and ancillary texts (Poster and Magazine Front Cover) is very effective as they all share the brand identity of my film and convey an eerie atmosphere that has connotations to the genre of Horror. I have been consistent in my use of colours and house style (Red, White, Orange and Black) and Main fonts i.e the film title 'SUSPECT'. I have made successful connotations to the Horror genre in all my products and created an eerie atmosphere which enhances the efficiency of my products combined as the audience recognise images, colours and fonts. The products also work well together because my magazine promotes 'Suspect' and influences the audience to be interested and participate in the viewing of this film.

The trailer could also influence the audience to purchase the magazine to find out more behind the scenes information. The Poster and Teaser Trailer enhances this promotion and urges the audience more so by giving information but creating interest leaving out main plots and how they are resolved.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
My film has a 15 certificate therefore no one under the age of 15. My package has a contemporary feel and uses modern conventions because it is aimed at people aged 16-24, which are the highest cinema participants. My products are also aimed at horror film fanatics as they will willingly view and buy my products to offer their opinion on how scary it is.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I used conventions relating to the horror genre e.g red dripping blood font, that are instantly recognisable and connotate the genre and give information about the film. I tried to create aesthetically pleasing products so that a consumer would be instantly engaged and given information, but very little, so they are intrigued and influenced to purchase the text or view the trailer/film. My audience are 16-24 years old therefore I tried to employ a contemporary feel to my products, I also tried to attract a male audience by using a good looking female actress in the lead role of the storyline. On my magazine front cover I used words that have a direct mode of address e.g 'Your' to engage to reader and make them fit in, this helps to coax in the reader to read the text.


How did you manage your time during this project?

I managed my time successfully in order to create professional and high quality media products. The trailer took me the longest period of time, filming was often made difficult because of lighting and weather conditions and the editing stage during production took the longest to complete. This was because I had a lot of footage that was not arranged correctly and needed cutting. After re-arranging and cutting I created animated text on LiveType and a soundtrack on Soundtrack which proved difficult because of the few sound files available, I then had to connect all these elements accurately so they worked together efficiently.

I wish I had spent more time on the title animation in my trailer, this is where the title of my film that is Suspect can be seen dripping like blood. I created this animation on Photoshop but it was very rushed, I would improve it by spending more time on it and making it look more realistic.

Problems I encountered which decreased my pace included printer problems - settings were not correct, internet problems - for a period of time I could not access my blog at college, (however this was resolved) and conversion problems - because all my images were not in the same folder I had problems converting my Quark Xpress documents to PDF. However I have resolved problems and worked very hard in order to achieve and produce a Promotional Package I am proud of.

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
During the planning and design stages of my products I created a questionnaire that included questions that I felt were important to find the answers to in order to maximise the efficiency of my products. I asked a mixed range of people from ages 12-60. Questions I used included ''What is your favourite film genre?'' and ''What would you expect to pay for a film magazine?''. I then analysed this feedback, it suggested that most popular genre is Horror and that my audience expect to pay £3.50-£4.50 therefore I priced my magazine at £3.60. I have also received feedback and comments on my blog, I posted a link to my blog on http://www.facebook.com/which has attracted a lot of interest. My products have been a success as people have recognised them as professional products that contain all major conventions shown in contemporary media texts, and some of my own conventions which I have incorporated because of their effect. My feedback also suggested that people like my chosen font design of a dripping blood effect and my animation of this in my trailer.

My audience feedback has been important in order to develop my products and make them aesthetically pleasing and efficient.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During my project I have used programs such as Photoshop CS4, Quark Xpress Passport, Soundtrack, LiveType and Final Cut Express HD. I was unsure how to use most of these programs therefore I had to learn the basics before I started production. It is prevalent that even amateurs can create films and various media texts at ease because of modern technologies. Younger age groups are engaged and learn how to use these programs as they grow up, just like I have, and this creates a flare for media and much more creativity in children compared to past generations.

Using these technologies has helped me to create products that reach a certain standard and could pass as being created by professional designers. I have had feedback that suggests my work is to a high standard and could be viewed in a cinema alongside proffessional trailers. Without this technology my products would not have been produced to the standard and be as effective as they appear.

Technologies like Youtube also help in the process of research and sharing. I have uploaded my trailer to Youtube and hope to recieve comments and feedback that I can then analyse to develop my products and improve them further.

These technologies may be great however I have found that they are not always reliable as they may crash and not respond, in events such as power cuts they are useless. However these technological advances benefit future products and companies because of the experience employees have had from an early age using these programs to a high standard.

How did you use technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I used technology throughout this entire project for research, planning and evaluation. Technologies I used include A video camera - to capture footage, Final Cut Express HD - to edit my footage, Photoshop - to edit pictures and create animations. Most of the lighting in my footage was natural but in order to create an eerie atmosphere I used tourches in various shots, including the final shot in my trailer where the masked killer appears. This blog has also been used throughout this project http://www.blogger.com/ to show workings and feedback, mainly for an analytical purpose during the evaluation stages . I used the Internet and websites such as http://www.youtube.com/ during the research stages of my project to highlight conventions and inspire my creativity, also http://www.facebook.com/ to promote my work and generate audience feedback. I used technologies such as Final Cut and Photoshop during the production and planning stages to create and aesthetically pleasing products that look proffessional.

I have really enjoyed this project and would love to continue devloping and improving my pieces. I have learnt a huge amount ranging from how to use certain programs such as Final Cut Express HD to filming and audience terminology such as cutting rhythm - my cutting rhythm was short to increase tension and excitement, and soundbridge - the placing of sound running from one shot to another, this helped to preserve the continuity of my trailer.


Thank you for reading my evaluation and taking the time to browse through my work.

Storyboarding

I have improved my storyboard and changed shots around to help preserve continuity and verisimilitude within my trailer. I have created a cast list and arranged time to film depending on various weather conditions and lighting as some shots need to be filmed in the rain.

Magazine Front Cover - Final Product

This is my final magazine front cover design. I tried to incorporate all major conventions of magazine front covers in my layout. I used a low key eerie image from my photo shoot which connoted the genre of my film and I used a halo effect to make it stand out. I used 'FREE Cinema Vouchers' as my 'puff' to draw in consumer attention. My magazine name is FILM* (Film Star) I came up with this during a mind map of ideas for the magazine name. The masthead was created using a bold font and a shadow effect with my main image overlapping which is a common convention in magazines today. I also included a tag line 'First Choice For Film Fanatics' and the web address. The issue number, price and date is situated underneath the star in the masthead, I wanted to create a flow to my layout in order to create a product with the best aesthetics possible. The film name is aligned left and overlapping the main image to show the relationship - this is the film this image is from. My issue is dated October and I researched special issues related to certain events, therefore I created a Halloween issue and produced an angled banner going across the page highlighting a key article in the magazine - 'Your Top 50 Horror Movies'. I used 'Your' to engage the audience this is known as the mode of address and help to draw attention and make the reader feel part of the magazine. I added photos to the banner that I also took during my photo shoots using masks and varied shot types such as MCU (Medium close up), CU (Close up) and ECU (Extreme close up). To finish my piece I added text/plugs to the bottom of the page and slightly changed the alignment of some elements in order to create a piece that looks as authentic and professional as possible.

This image is not as good quality because I had trouble converting it to an EPS file, I think this is because all the images I used were not in the same folder, therefore I had to print screen and paste into Photoshop to create a JPG to upload.

I would improve this piece by creating less blank space. I could move elements into open spaces to correct this or insert more plugs and images. However one of my personal aims was to not create a front cover that was too busy which is why it has been produced this way. I would also correct inaccuracies created on Photoshop e.g the faint white line down the right hand side which is a layer I have not edited accurately.

'SUSPECT' OFFICIAL TRAILER 2010

*Unfortunately I was unable to upload my trailer to Blogger; I think this may be due to the size of my file, I have therefore uploaded my trailer to http://www.youtube.com/.

If you are experiencing errors to view my trailer CLICK HERE -----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6W3-p352eM

This is the trailer I have created and edited on Final Cut Express. I created the soundtrack on Soundtrack and the animated font on LiveType. I used various conventions from horror trailers such as: Eerie music and drum beat, fast cuts, low key shots and eerie, burning animated font. I am very pleased with what I have produced and learnt for and from this project. I feel my piece expresses the genre of my film and creates interest and attracts the viewer to find out more, which is the aim of a trailer. I used stylized cuts that help to present these eerie events and created a fast paced trailer that has you on the edge of your seat.

I improved the trailer by taking out various shots that I felt were not needed and decreased the pace of the piece. I would improve it further by spending more time on the film title animation which I created on Photoshop, it was quite rushed and could be much more effective if more time was spent on it. Some of my peers commented on the time scale in which the animated text appears saying it could be longer, however I produced it like this so there was just enough time to read it and then it quickly disappears. I did this to preserve the fast pace and to create tension caused by the sudden cuts and fade outs to black.

Poster - Final Product

For my poster I picked the best image from my photo-shoot in terms of quality and atmosphere, I cropped and edited the contrast of the image and applied it to the background of the poster. I came up with two reviews that would be prevalent and relate to the film as they often do "Bloody Brilliant" and "A Deadly Film" which are quoted by my magazine and a friends magazine (Filmtastic-Karen Catchpole). I also created a Film Festival winners badge for best actress which matches conventions of many posters and helps to enhance the authenticity of my piece. The tag line sits just above the title of the film, I did this to create a flow within my piece and produce an aesthetically pleasing promotional product. At the bottom of my poster lies the cast list, certification, distributor, studio and release date. I developed my poster to the standard of real film posters and included all the main poster conventions. I am very pleased with my poster because it looks authentic and evokes an emotion from the consumer which is what I wanted. It expresses the genre and detail about the story which engages interest and ultimately drives the viewer to the cinema to watch the film.

I would improve this piece and its elements slightly. I would change the colour of the tag line so that it stands out more against the image behined especially the hands. I am really happy with the layout as I feel it flows well and comfortable for the eye to read.

Poster Image

This is the image I have selected for my poster. When selecting an image for my poster and magazine I looked for images that were eye-catching, eerie and that show conventions of the genre.

Magazine Image

This is the image I have selected to use for my film magazine. It was one of the best in terms of quality from the shoot. I wanted to create a low key eerie image but I used far too much light, however this works well to distort the identity of the killer which is why I have decided to continue to use it.

Font Design

This is my film name and font design. It is aesthetically pleasing and connotates the genre of the film. I chose a blood red because of the splatter design and its slasher connotations.

This is my studio logo and name. I created it using Photoshop to connotate the genre of the film from the font style. I chose a grey as I feel this will stand out on a dark backdrop but not like a sore-thumb.

This is my production team/distributor name and logo. I wanted to create an aesthetically modern and edgy looking design yet still eerie looking to connnotate the genre.

Draft Storyboarding

I have begun to create a draft storyboard for my trailer reflecting my vision and ideas. I will analyse this draft and look at the possibility of swapping shots around to change the pace of the piece and preserve its continuity.

I plan to learn how to use LiveType and Soundtrack to make my piece more complex and ultimately entertaining.

Ideas for Poster & Magazine FC

I have analysed various Horror posters and looked at codes and conventions used. I plan to use these conventions to create ideas (sketches) of possible designs (these can be found in my scrapbook).

I believe it is important to involve good images that are rich in narrative. When I decide on a final design layout I will use a photography studio for a photoshoot and analyse these images, then decide on two to use for my final products.

Ideas For Tag Line

• sus-pect: V.tr 1. To have doubts about; distrust: 2. To think (a person) is guilty without proof.


• Do you know who your friends are?


• Suspicion

I am going to use 'Do you know who your friends are?' as my tagline as I feel this says more about the story: a girl that kills her friends but no one knows.