Evaluation 4

'How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?'

Most of the technology which has enabled me to create my magazine front cover, poster and trailer i am familiar with, yet because i had to create a film trailer as well, i was put up against software which i have never used before and i felt were quite challenging.

I am familiar with photoshop, so the creating of my cover and poster wasn't to hard. Yet some bits were very tricky to achieve such as having a blood splat over her face but still able to see the protagonist face, having the focal picture on the cover being coloured in yet the background desaturated. I had to learn a technique called 'Layer Mask' which enables me to bring a picture from behind another forward, which gave me the effect of the blooded face.

I have used Blogger for my AS level, so i know how to function it well. I had some difficulties on how to upload videos and how to embed a link. Once i found out it wasn't as difficult as i thought it was, but sometimes finding the links on Youtube for the trailers wasn't easy to find.

I have used Youtube before to find certain videos, finding the trailers i needed wasn't very difficult. I have never had a Youtube account before, and it was hard to upload my video and get a link for blogger, but other than that it was easy to use.

Premier Elements wasn't familiar with me, but it didn't take long to pick up the aspects of it, it wasn't hard as i knew what i wanted from looking at different trailers. The use of fade in and fade outs, jump cuts and polarising some of the frames, effectively created a more horrific effect. Sometimes i was stuck with it rendering, as sometimes it kept coming up with error, but it didn't take too long to sort out. Also trying to figure out how to take the digested sound within the shot out and put the music i created in it's place.

Fruity loops had to have been the hardest to use, it was very useful as it contained different instruments and enabled me to come up with rhythms. I used this alongside Audacity as i created a bar of music in Fruity Loops and put them all together in Audacity. Fruity Loops was great to work with once i got the hang of it, the ability to change tempo the pitch of each individual instrument, like creating my trailer, from watching trailers i had a rough idea of what sound track to had, and once my film trailer footage was completed it was easy to work off it.

Audacity enabled me to finish off the music, refine it to make it sound smoother and ran through sufficently. In Fruity Loops the pitch could only go so high and so low, but with audacity i had more variety between the pitch, i could also layer it with other rhythms i created so one piece could flow nicely from one to another. At the near end of my trailer there is a section of music as though it is going backwards which i thought was rather effective and i couldn't do it in Fruity Loops but i was able to do it Audacity.

Overall i couldn't use one Software with out the other, they all managed to help me to create my media products effectively and i am pleased with what i have achieved. It has helped me with research as i was able to go on Google and Youtube to research the layout of poster/Magazine frontcovers and the functions they poses to hopefully achieve a successful piece, and with Youtube the ability to find trailers to help me construct an idea for my trailer. With the planning i created a mindmap of ideas from the trailers i had watched with a moodboard, also i created a moodboard of various pictures to help me think in depth what a horror movie consists of.

Evaluation 3

' What have you learned from your audience feedback?'


The response from my audience feedback was very helpful, as i know my strong points about each product and the downfalls. The overall was positive which has shown that the target audience has been hit and what i wanted to achieve has been done successfully.
My audience ranges to 16-25, i originally chose this age range as this tends to be the typical age of wanting to watch a horror/thriller movie, other age ranges would be put off.
It is like an ordinary film, but i feel the trailer does pull people in as it shows like a normal horror, but if you saw the actual film it wouldn't be quite would you thought.

I didn't want a questionnaire as i feel people wouldn't be able to express there full feelings towards each product properly and it would be narrowed down, i told them loosely questions like 'If this product works, why?' 'Does this appeal to you?' 'What could be improved?'


Feedback:

Poster: The positive feedback i got from people was
-The layout of the poster was effective
- The colours were vibrant yet disturbing
- The focal photo intriguing as you are not sure what has happened to the girl
- A couple of people had said it did look like a poster as it had the 'functions' such as the credits at the bottom.

I had a comment saying they weren't appealed by the poster as they had no idea of what it was about.


Magazine:
Unfortuately the magazine front cover wasn't as successful as the poster, some had said that it didn't look like a magazine, yet more like a poster. Some had stated that the photo should have been moved up a little higher. Yet on the other hand they had said i had a good understanding of making a magazine cover and the use of article titles were appealing.

Trailer:

There was a lot of positive feedback for the trailer, such as the music was well fitted with the genre and had actually scared them. Some had said it was intriguing and would go to the cinema to watch it.
The use of scenery and clothing was appropriate with the genre especially the graveyard as it emphasises

Evaluation 2

'How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?'

Throughout my products there is a sense of similarity between the three.

With my magazine and poster i've used red significantly, not only for it being a horror movie but to lead the eye through each one, i feel these two are very effective as you can see the technique through both, plus the composition is the same as i have positioned the focal points on the right hand side, this immediately shows a link to both. Though the magazine front cover does to me stand out like a sore thumb, with the trailer and poster they typically portray a terrifying atmosphere with the music in the trailer and use of special effects and a picture with 'blood' upon the focal point both equally reflect a horror genre.

Yet the front cover doesn't appear to be scary, yet i had a thought that there could be a good reason why i have choosen to do it this way. Sight&Sound tend to review in an intellectual style which appeals audiences to read behind the actors/actresses/directors feelings and intentions on the movie. The use of a young person instead of a usual older person appearing on the front cover could suggest that the people who create movies are ultering so that a normal person can create a movie which appeals to everyone, instead of you typical big name director creating your gruesome expensive horror movie. Also instead of having the front cover being bloody like my poster, having it plain and normal may suggest that this magazine is going to see the other side of the creation of the movie, behind the scenes of what makes this movie significant to be choosen by Sight&Sound to be reviewed and what's so important to have a younger director.

I feel that they are all effective in there own individual way, even though the front cover doesn't obviously show that it's promoting a horror movie, from it being completely different it sort of stands out more suggesting that people are more keen onto why it isn't the same as the trailer and poster.

I think if i were to re-do my magazine frontcover i would have the title of the movie in the typeface which i originally created for my poster and trailer to atleast give it some of a link between them. Having it on the frontcover in large would immediately draw the eye, but have the rest of the text in another typceface to make the title stand out more, i would change the focal point as well, making the frontcover more appealing, possibly a closer view point from midwaist up. Giving a more intense feel as though it's personnal as we are going to explore the intention of the director.

Evaluation 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


I would think that my trailer uses the conventions of a real media product, as it contains the typical horrific music in the background like a normal horror trailer does. It sets the atmosphere immediately informing the audience the genre of the trailer. The trailer also has the uses the conventions as you don't know what is happening and is not sure on the plot line but knows who the characters are and the setting. This gives the sense of a horror film as within the film you don't know what's going to happen, and at the beginning you don't know what's going on which is exactly what this trailer is doing. In Horror trailers, the majority of them tend to have a climax and build up and the pace tends to speed up, my trailer does this exactly, i used this idea as i think its very effective to have it calm and slow then the pace quickens creating fear and hearts racing, reflecting the characters emotions within the film. Also as i have researched trailers and there effects and use of angles, i have tried to put some into practise but have some of my input into it to interpret it differently. In the trailer with the three boys heading towards the camera, the boy on the far left seems to jump further and appears to walk faster than the other two. I decided to do this idea as it gives a scary sense that when you turn your back on some and look back at it, it seems to have jumped closer towards you, giving a sense that you shouldn't take your eye off the monster as you don't know what'll happen, this immediately emphasises the use of conventions as in some trailers there's always a point-of-view shot where the protagonist is trying to find the monster but has no idea where, this then gives the idea that my trailer is trying to make people see the trailer through the eyes of the protagonist and feel her fear and emotions. There is also another scene at the end where there is a 180 degree shot around the girl with shots of the boys cutting in, this scene is to show that she is thinking of them and they are her main concern and is scared of what is going to happen.

Yet you could say that this film has a slight independent feel to it as it doesn't have the dark contrast as a normal mainstream horror movie does. This could be relevent to the movies 'Shaun of The Dead' and 'Colin' as both of these do not have a large budget. So my film can be seen as challenging the conventions, yet some independent movies do not challenge them so that isn't always the case. I think in general my movie does use the conventions as sometimes if you try and challenge them you will not know if the audience will like it, where as if it does follow the conventions they are more likely to watch it as they know what to expect.

My film poster does follow the conventions as most of the horror poster have a black/dark background with some hint of red to resemble the danger or blood spillage within the movie, i wanted to follow the conventions with the poster especially as it always looks very effective and the use of red is the most eye catching colour there is, so this immediately attratcs the audience and tells them what genre it it. Most posters tend to have the title in the centre, immediately wanting the audience to know the title and try to draw them in. With the layout of my poster doesn't really apply the conventions of this as it's in the last 3rd down on the poster, but i've used red from top to bottom to lead the eye down which i believe is effective, as they see the tag line first then the picture then the name. I feel this layout gives the idea of a build up of fear.


My frontcover magazine does follow the convention as i've used an existing magazine to promote my film. I used Sight&Sound as they tend to have independent film reviews, i also chose this magazine as it is an easier way to follow the conventions and the style as i can look at past magazines to take references of how to layout a cover on the genre of horror. Also what they tend to use for a focal point either the director or the main character, i feel i followed the conventions of the magazine front cover well. They generally have a gradient background which i managed to achieve and also have font/colour relevent to the topic it was discussing. Overall i feel my magazine successfully uses the conventions of a magazine cover and looks like one.

Finished 'Damned' Trailer

This is the final edited version of my trailer, i'm very pleased with the result as it doesn't give away the plot to the audience nor the storyline, which tends to happen in horror trailers.

Magazine Front Cover

I think this magazine follows the conventions of Sight & Sound as their background tends to have a gradient effect. The photo came out great as it automatically had that effect so i didn't need to apply it. The typography fits perfectly with the content its discussing, such as the blooded typeface for the Horror subject and the green typeface for the Irish movie. I'm very pleased with this result as i find it hard to follow the conventions of an existing magazine, yet it would be harder to start one from scratch. The composition of the director is perfect as i tried to follow one that had this lay out, there wasn't much text and the main focal point was the director himself. But the colours were very faded. I also like how the red from the font at the top leads down wards to the t-shirt, it's really effective as red is the most eye catching colour and having the 'Horror' section in red and the director wearing a bit of red suggests that they both link and there's a relation to the two.

Photos for Magazine cover

The pictures i originally wanted to use for the magazine front cover weren't as sharp as Sight and Sound pictures. I also considered one of the front covers which contained a director, the background was plain and simple, a great idea not to distract the eye from the main focal point, making him the important person emphasising his position.

I wouldn't use this picture as it is too blurry and the positioning isn't right.

I like this picture as when a person looks directly into the camera lense, it sometimes suggests a sense of intimidation to the audience, or the sense of 'i'm not afraid of anything'. I might use this picture but im not to sure on the lighting near the eyes, it could suggest the genre in which the director likes to use, yet in the photos from Sight and Sound, the lighting in very clear, showing all aspects of the persons face and every detail.

This is the same concept for the photo above, its a usable picture but im not to sure about the lighting around the eyes.

I like the idea of the director looking to the side given their image an 'edgy' style, but if im following the house style of Sight and Sound, the majority of the photo's tend to look at the camera.

I woulnd't use this picture as it is slightly out of focus in a section of the photo, and the general positioning doesn't look right.

The lighting on the eyes is a lot better, but to me the image doesn't look as sharp as the previous photos do.

This is the same as the photo before, too blurry and not in focus as i hoped it to be.

The lighting is a lot better, i like the background as the gradient effect looks really good and is more interesting.

I wouldn't really use this photo as the hair is covering up the face

Final Poster

I'm very pleased with the final result as it successfully look like a horror film poster. It has one focal point, it contains a blood like red, and the typography is relevant to the story of the film also the credits at the bottom emphasis the feel of a film poster. I like how not all of the picture it red, this could suggest that there is more danger than safety as 2/3 of the picture is red. I like how there's a smokey effect behind the picture, this createsan eerie atmosphere towards the picture and may tell the audience that theres some creepiness to the film. The compositioning of the picture is perfect as it creates a more interesting effect as it isnt in the centre of the page. I'm very pleased with the poster and feel it follows the conventions of a film poster, especially a horror.

More edits

I really like this poster as it looks like a typical scary poster. The red is a typical shocking colour, yet i will blend the gloves in more. This one is far better than the other, as there wasn't a sense of horror in the other poster, but with this one, the moment you have blood red, it immediately tells the audience that it is going to be gory.

Audience Feedback of Film Poster

I showed a group of people their opinions on my poster, and if they feel it is conventional and looks like a Horror poster.

The positive feed back which I recieved:
-'The "ripping" face is very nice and done well, it gives a good feel of what the movie will be about'
- 'The text layout is very good, gives the focal point a border'
- 'I think it works well as it fits in with the traditional horror poster because it is dark and has one main focal point'
- 'Its good, effective and makes me want to know what the film is about.'
-'Graphics are effective'
- 'Good layout, good use of colour to create an effective eye catching poster/ picture, gets the message over'


Constructive critism:
- 'an A-list celebrity attracts more attention'
- 'drop the title of the film down slightly so that it doesn't detract from the main poster picture. '
- 'The picture needs more depth and higher contrast, you could add some mist in the background which some movies tend to do to add an eerie atmosphere'

I have found this feedback very helpful as i now see what to do to make it more effective and to produce a better poster.

Final Film Poster

From my research of the Horror film posters, i have found out that it isn't complicated. Most of the time it contains one focal picture, sometimes of a face showing horror, or a symbol item which my be a reference to the film. I used the black back ground as it is the usual form that horror posters tend to use, symbolic to the idea of death, immediately telling the audience the mood and atmosphere of the film, as well as what is likely to happen. I also used a brush which creates a blood splatter over the face, only showing a section, i used this brush as the blood splatter will symbolise the blood and death within the film. I like the tag line as most films seem to have a short whitting line, i think its effective as it gives the feel that you are never alone. Also the picture itself is effective as her eyes are looking towards the side with the most black on the poster, this could suggest that she is afraid and she is looking at what is coming after her and we can not see it, or it could suggest that she is looking at death and may come to close contact with it. The hint of the red smoke seems effective as most posters tend to have either a lot of red or just a little hint of it, this signifies the blood and death within the film, also smoke can show transformation so this can be a little hint of what is going to happen.

Analysis of Horror Movie Posters

Rougly only using two colours is very effective, especially black and red. The black is effective as it creates a dark, deathly atmosphere which sets the plot immediately of the mood of the film. The use of the red lights suggests the train has been taken over by something evil, with the inclusion of graffiti on the train which says 'Beware the beast watches' which gives the impression you are never alone and safe. This gives the impression that the characters are always on their feet running, nothing is ever calm and slow. The composition of the train is effective as it looks like its heading straight towards you, suggesting the beast is coming after you as well.

This film poster is simpler that the poster for creep as it only focuses on the women on the left hand side, i feel the composition has been purposely laid out in this particular way as we naturally read from left to right, we then immediately look at the woman who is our main focus, we naturally follow her eyes to the left and look at the title of the movie, an effective way of leading the eye through the picture. Also the typography is very subtle at the point it's making and the link with the phrase at the top of the poster as the 'O' looks like an eye peeping through a key hole. This suggests that someone is always watching her and hunting her down. The poster also tells the audience what era it is set in, this will seem more frightening as in the 1940's there wasn't any electricty so the use of candle light is very limiting, suggesting you can only see what the protagonist sees.

Development of Film Poster

Poster 1: I'm starting to develop the film poster from the research i have done. I like this poster as the focus on the girl looks as though someone is spying on her. The little amount of blood signifies that it is a horror and tells the audience instantly that blood will be spilt. The use of the plain background is effective, as it suggests death, usually when someone dies the camera slowly blacks out. I dont want it to mean that the protagonist dies, but there is death within the film. I'm not to happy about the typography or blood splatter as it's too small an unnoticeable and seems pointless for being there. I dont think the typography is very effective as it doesnt seem like a typical horror typeface, the movie has characters set in a previous era but i don't want to give the plot away and tell too much about it. I may do the typical blood dripping from the typography.

Poster 2: This is the second development of my film poster, this one is a lot better than the previous one as the blood splatter is bigger and gives more meaning. It also makes the typography stand out more, but i'm still unsure of the typography, i may create my own typography as i may be able to relate it to the film's genre and plot.

Poster 3: This is the third poster i designed. I feel this is more successful than the previous 3 and that it's slowly looking more like a film poster as i go along and change certain areas. i used a layer mask which enabled me to have a black background and use a brush which creates a splat, creating this effective picture, making the photo look distorted. I think this has two possibly meanings of the use. The first one feels as though we are looking from a point of view perspective of the evil characters lurking in the bushes waiting to attack. It also focuses on the facial expression emphasising the fear and horror in her eyes, also where she is looking we can not see, so we can not see what is after her which is effective as it doesnt give what s coming after her away.

The use of the gentle red smoke coming over the typography creates a sophisticated essence of the film, suggesting evil is in the air, and it is not your typical dead, rotting zombie or monster.

Poster 4: The poster is the same but i wanted to see what it would look with different smoke effects, the previous poster looks as though someone is breathing out the smoke as though their breathe is made up of evil. The smoke on this poster looks as though its about to take over someone or its lingering in the air, giving the sense that the atmosphere is deadly.

Poster 5: With this poster i tried to combined with what i did with the other posters in one. Compared to a normal film poster, i feel there is far too much colour, which isn't giving a scary vibe from the poster.

I will try taking other photo's which has something to do with the film, that doesnt involve too much colour.

Analysis of the Sight and Sound front cover

I am analysing Sight and Sound as I feel is has the convention which doesn’t contain your typical glossy American movie, instead your independent, gritty British film. The front cover usually contains a one coloured background or possibly one with very little much happening in the background. The typography is always relevant to the film itself, occasionally not being obvious. The use of colourful typography in this picture could symbolize the idea of a different variety of fish which then could suggest the characters we meet within the film and their personalities. The use of the blue hoody and the sky could show a relation which may suggest the girl wants fame, and fame is high above everyone else and that’s where she wants to be. The use of the bright yellow is effective, as yellow being a warm colour your eye is immediately drawn to it. The thick, bold font stands out very well with the ‘&’ being red aids the yellow to emphasis the drawing in.








This front cover seems to show a more personal feel. The use of the cold purple and the woman’s eye could suggest a romance between the two but it’s not a happy love story, and the typography which looks handwritten could suggest a diary, maybe a book or a monologue in which he tells about his feels through out the movie. The facial expression emphasises on what the content may be and how we will feel whilst watching it. Purple can also be seen as a calming colour, especially a pale purple such as Lavender. This could suggest that there won’t be any over reacting and exaggeration.

Protagonist Photoshoot

Within this photoshoot i wanted the protagonist to turn around as though the 'monsters' where there, looking shocked and petrified at the same time.

I wouldn't use this shot as i prefer a close up, as you can see the facial expression clearly. To me it doesnt seem like a film poster, as the composition looks boring.

I wouldn't use this shot as the hands weren't positioned the way i wanted them to. I wanted them slightly more down as though she was slowly lowering her hands after being in a frustrated mood.

I don't think she looks scared in this picture, more like a casual look over the shoulder. I was trying to have different shots of what the protagonist may be doing.

This has to be one of my favourite photos as she does look petrified, and the shot is composition well, yet i would have liked a grave stone in the background, so the audience would know where she it. I think the shot has been taken at a reasonable range so it isn't too close nor too distant.

Male Photoshoot

I like the composition of this photograph, i dont know whether to use it for a magazine cover or a film poster. Unfotuately it is slightly fuzzy to use which is a shame.

I like how each of the actors are looking in a different direction showing a difference in personality. I like how their positioned as well, suggesting carefree and relaxed. I feel this would be a great photo for a front cover magazine, as it looks like there an interview of them and their feelings towards the film they were involved in.

This is unusable as it is far too fuzzy.

I like this photo yet i wouldn't use it as the person on the far left isn't positioned the way i wanted him to, also i didn't want them to smile, just casually look at the camera.

This has to be my favourite photo as the composition is excellent and it is very clear and precise. Even though you can see the flash on the front person, i can always edit it on photoshop

Filming

I've managed to finish off all the footage involving the actors/actress. All i need to do now is set the tripod and camera up so i can film a sunset. Whilst i was filming, i managed to take some photo's for the film poster and magazine. Some of the shots are fuzzy which is a shame, but thankfully some have turned out really well.

Re-do

The Sunday before going back, I did some more shooting. I arrived an hour earlier than the first shooting and it went better than the first time; as I had learnt my lesson. Even though it didn't look like dusk, I hope I can change it with the editing suite. I also used a different camera which allowed me to change the darkness. In addition to this, one of the people that were acting for me brought a larger tripod so this meant I didn't have to hold it. This kept the camera more stable than if I had to hold it, therefore making it look more professional. I hope to film this coming Sunday to finish off the male actor parts and do a photoshoot for the film poster and magazine front cover. This then means i can concerntrate on the other half of the film trailer with the protagonist, hopefully next thursday will be the time to film and then i'll be ready to edit the footage. It will be filmed within the cemetry like the rest of the footage, i need to get the tri-pod i used last time from one of the actors, as it is taller than the one i possess.

Filming

Last Sunday i started to do some filming, but to my surprise it didnt turn out as well as i had hoped. My film is based just before it turns dark, the camera didnt pick the lighting up very well and i could hardly see a thing. This means i will have to film it when it's low cloud and in the afternoon. The shooting may have not have turned out as well as i had hoped, but this means i can learn from it, this sunday i will be doing it again. Also what i learnt was that some shots which i thought would be very easy to accomplish took longer than i thought, and which lead me to either changing the shot or positioning it differently.