Tuesday 3 May 2011

Evaluation q 3.


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

The internet as a whole helped me a lot whilst carrying out my research as I could compare different types of media to another. YouTube was helpful with my product research as well as comparing different types of teaser trailers and focusing on the specific conventions used within them. By comparing different teaser trailers I started noticing things that appeal and work well and things that are somewhat unnecessary to have.
I then started posting my work onto blogger and used it as a day to day diary of my work where I could keep all my notes and research in one place. My audience research questionnaire was both done on paper and via e-mail and it was much easier putting together the results from the emails.

To create my production piece I used a video camera and a tripod to make it stable and ensure a good quality shot. Using the camera on my own was a whole new experience for me as I was the actor in my group’s production piece last year I got to only record a few shots and use the camera at rare occasions. This meant that I struggled a little at the start with the features of the camera and how to position the tripod etc. however I managed to correct myself and get the best shots possible for my teaser trailer.


For both my magazine and film cover I used a SLR camera which gave the pictures good quality and made my production pieces look better.

I edited my teaser trailer using iMovie hd. As I had used iMovie in my last year’s production it was fairly straight forward to use except some of the features which I forgot about which included the slides in between shots. I created my magazine cover and film poster using adobe Photoshop which was a whole new experience as I had never used Photoshop before. After having several practise attempts at producing a magazine cover and film poster I managed to come up with two for my own production.

Monday 2 May 2011

Evaluation question 2.

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

I think that my film poster works well with the main production piece as it is an in action shot of my character. However I failed to use the same font within my main production piece and my film poster which was very disappointing as it would have shown the connection between the two as well as consistency.

My magazine cover doesn’t relate much to my product as it focuses more on the star of the movie. However this can also be used to promote the movie.

Evaluation question 1.



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





Whilst making my media products I had to research and develop my knowledge on the conventions of existing media products of the same genre. I made a decision on my genre which ended up being thriller/horror after I carried out my initial research which was a questionnaire I set up asking general questions e.g. age, gender, preferred film genres etc.



After carrying out further research into the conventions of thriller and horror teaser trailers I decided to use title slates to intrigue viewers and make the viewer want to watch the film to get answers.





These where title slates taken from the movie “saw 3d” where I initially got the idea from that I could use title slates to intrigue my audience.












In thrillers and horror teaser trailers I noticed that the music in the background mostly remains the same which is usually the official soundtrack to the movie. The soundtrack also usually starts of slow and gets faster and louder with the speed of the editing of intensity of the scene which is what the soundtrack in my teaser trailer achieved successfully.
I noticed that in thrillers some scenes are shown and they get more intense and intriguing before the teaser trailer comes to an end. I also applied this in my own teaser trailer.

Friday 18 March 2011

Magazine Cover Trial



I did a rough version of my magazine cover to portray my initial idea. I need to develop my idea and make it more appealing and conventional.

Photos for magazine cover


Institution Research





Revolver Entertainment.

Revolver entertainment is and independent film distributor that was founded in 1997 and has headquarters in both London and Los Angeles. Revolver Entertainment have distributed films such as Kidulthood, The basement and shank. These are films that may not be known so well worldwide but they have been successful in the British market.

Adjusted Treatment

Detention.

Aisha is a teacher in a south London based secondary school. One morning on her way to work she was getting followed by a stranger in a grey hooded jacket. She didn’t make much out of it as he had disappeared by the time she got to work. after a long day of teaching and marking coursework she’s on the phone to her boyfriend letting him know she’s going to run late as she has set detention for several students who didn’t do their homework however by the time she puts her phone down she sees a man in a grey hood looking through the window. She runs after him to ask who he is and what he wants to which he runs into the staircase and disappears. As she packs up her stuff to go home she sees the man in the grey hood on the other side of the corridor. She runs and he chases her as she screams for help. Will she escape or will she get taught a life lesson? In detention.

Photoshop Trial.






I took this picture off Google images and opened it up in Adobe Photoshop. I erased all the parts of the picture i did not want so i was only left with the Denzel Washington image. I took a background of a crime scene from Google images and added the Denzel Washington image on top of it to make it look like a film scene.

Questionaire results.





Teaser trailers




127 Hours.

• The teaser trailer opens with production company tittle slates. Well known institutions Pathe and Fox searchlight.





• Wide shot of dessert to show viewers the isolation. Then the music starts and a man on a bike rides out. Whilst he is on riding a bike it cuts to other famous titles directed by “Danny Boyle”. This helps promote and sell the film.





• The trailer cuts from scene to scene of the characters experiences and gives us a bit more of an insight on the characters personal life.



• As the trailer goes on most of the shots are still of the dessert which suggests that this is the main location of the film.

• The trailer leaves the viewer intrigued in the end on whether the character gets saved or not.















The basement

• This is a conventional horror/thriller teaser trailer as it is fast paced and goes through some vital and key scenes of the film. The editing plays a key role as most of the scenes are fast phased as well as the music which builds up tension and leaves the viewer intrigued.

• The non-diegetic sounds of birds and bushes in the beginning give it an uneasy feeling as if some mishaps are bound to happen.

• The blood and injury’s to the characters suggest that there is a killer as well as the characters arguing and hints that one of the four main characters could actually be the killer.

• The teaser trailer hints at the narrative as it shows you that there are 4 characters which are being tormented by something or someone which is quite typical of a horror.

• I could use some of the shots and editing techniques in my own film as I plan to make a thriller/horror. I like the way the music speeds up and builds tension before suddenly coming to a close.

Film Posters