Evaluation

1. In what ways do your film poster, magazine cover and trailer use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In order to fully analyse the effectiveness of my trailer and how it develops or challenges forms and conventions, I need to look at the various shots I took as they certainly vary in quality and what they try and convey.


Shot 1)
This is a long shot of a scene where the girls gather around a campfire. This nightime shot works in conjunction with title 'Trapped In Isolation' which solidifies the genre of horror as it hints that the characters will need to escape from something or someone and as they are isolated from society, cannot do so. The use of all the girls having fun, is juxtaposed to later shots but establishes the situation/plan.

Shot 2)
We tried to use a birdseye shot of bottles strewn on the floor, seemingly abandoned. This introduces the possibility of danger to the audience as the previous happy scene of the girls huddled together, has been interrupted for some reason. This reason is not expressed and so therefore creates further enigma as to the perpetrator. 

As tension increased, we used a series of shots using each character portrayed in a victim circumstance so as to create enigma and therefore keep the audience guessing as to the actual killer - enticing them to watch the film. We also interlinked these with frames of blood dripping in different parts of the setting which enhanced the genre and reality of the trailer.

Shot 3)
To create variation and differentiation amongst our shots, we used a close up to capture 'Jen' possibly being attacked. The closeness of the shot allows to audience to see the character's emotion and therefore feel sympathetic towards her character, where previously she was indicated as a possible antagonist, as well as perhaps engage and feel her fear. This shot, in conjunction with the setting is used to present the fear of the unknown and perhaps isolation, with which most of the audience demographics could identify with.

Shot 4) 
Following from this, there is a mid-shot of 'Lisa' looking nervous and scared and getting pulled behind a tree. The angling of the shot allows the audience to again, engage with the character's emotions and then be shocked by the grab - further establishing 'Lisa' as a victim rather than the villain which she was perhaps shown as in the earlier footage.

Shot 5)
Then we incorporated a shot of 'Imogen' rocking in terror in at the foot of a tree. The tree adds to the setting and showing that she can't find any solace from this terror in the woods - interlinking with the 'trapped in isolation' title that introduced the night vision shots to the audience. This, again, makes Imogen seem a victim rather than a suspect so when the audience go and see the film, they are surprised by the traitor.

Shot 6) 
This is possibly one of the most important shots in the trailer in terms of the storyline. It's a mid-shot of Ellie being attacked by an unidentified person, showing her as a victim where perhaps the audience initially thought she would be the killer because of her previous victimisation prior to the trip.

Shot 7)
Finally, a mid-shot of Beckie is used to include her character as a victim. I sandwiched this shot with two others of legs running to establish a sense of urgency and insinuate a chase within the film. 

All these shots conform to typical conventions as they are simple in terms of framing and content. In horror trailers, there are often shots of the victims being attacked with no outcome shown to retain enigma. Our trailer does the same. As Nick Abercrombie said, 'not knowing what to expect, makes you enjoy a film' and so enigma is key within trailers to retaining this for audiences.

Shot 8)  
A knife is shown to the audience, and placed in a mysterious bag. This scene is more like something you'd see in a forensic, murder programme on television. Our reason for incorporating it, was simply to further establish the main aspect - that the murderer/killer is a member of the friendship group, which the audience may not realise through the initial dialogue. We chose to get the actor to make it glint in the light so as to achieve a more menacing and purposeful shot, otherwise, it could possibly have been pointless to the audience.

Shot 9)
This is a shot of a lantern slowly dying. This allegorically represents the lives of the girls and how they're slowly being extinguished. The subtle fragility of the flame makes this shot powerful and effective for the viewers if they understand its meaning.

Shot 10)
Another shot I believe is key in our trailer, is the title which is a definite convention as it tells the audience what the film is called. The title should be memorable in terms of the wording and effect used. We decided to place our title at the end of the film so that our target audience would watch the whole trailer and then see it's name. We also employed a blurring effect on it to allegorically represent how the characters never see the traitor and seemingly can't catch her. The audience are positioned with the characters with the anonymity and enigma created by the title name and previous shots we chose to use.The colour scheme was also used to connote danger and blood - significant features in creating iconography. 

I evaluated my final poster and magazine cover to demonstrate the aspects of it that conform to conventions and make it authentic and my reasons for choosing them.

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

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

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Creating a horror film trailer made it easier to obtain audience feedback as due to the adolescent actors and therefore characters incorporated, the trailer is aimed at this target demographic. This meant that collating data, like if I hit specific conventions, was easier, because I am part of the audience and have friends who are.

The first step to receiving audience feedback, is to make drafts of each individual aspect of the coursework - trailer, poster and magazine cover. Then ask some people from the target demographic to evaluate each one so you can improve it.

Draft Trailer

For the preliminary trailer in the draft stage, it was essential to get draft feedback from my target audience. This is to ensure that I was on the right track, that I was conveying the genre effectively and specifically, so that it appealed to them - the main aim of a film trailer. I organised a small focus group of friends who fit the target demographic, played them the trailer and then asked questions to prompt their response and opinions.

The main answers were positive, saying I conveyed the genre well and that they enjoyed the range of shots I had filmed and selected. However, the audio and music choices needed to be better and fine-tuned to each shot to ensure full effectiveness is achieved. Also, to improve the use of conventions in the trailer, such as over the shoulder dialogue shots that show speech rather than a voiceover, as it aided the storyline. The trailer was also shown in class on the Smartboard to gain more feedback from my target audience but who may have some technical insights as part of the class. The main alterations I made as a result of this, were to quicken the pace of the last shots so as to build all-important tension amongst the audience and make it memorable, therefore increasing their desire to see it. Also, I was told to add in some more dialogue shots that conveyed the narrative better and helped present the relationships the characters had.

Magazine Feedback
Here is my draft magazine poster:

Although I did not finish it at draft stage, I was given some key comments by my peers within my class that aided improvement towards final piece:

Firstly, the masthead was overloaded with effects that conveyed the magazine genre. So I removed the lens from the 'O' so as to reduce overcrowding. Also, the name needed something more to create a memorable brand, so I altered it to read, 'At The Movies'. The image was taken in a short period of time and so the costume, lighting and background were all wrong for the film and what I wanted to convey. Now, within the image, it is out of character and more actor-focussed conforming to stereotypical magazine conventions. All that remained on the front cover was to finish my cover lines which I hadn't yet added when drafting the magazine.

After altering my magazine poster to it's final stage, I then sought further feedback from my target audience as this gives me more insight as to how I could've improved.

They seemed to enjoy the colour scheme which is usually found on magazines, hence my reason for choosing it. They enjoyed the effects employed by the masthead such as the inclusion of the clapperboard and the Broadway font. Also, they felt that the main image was striking, a great shot and incorporated eye-contact which is key to enticing readers.The main criticisms involved the white background which is not a convention often found on stereotypical magazines - as the publishers like to include an exciting backing to enhance the image and theme created.

Here is my draft poster:

For this, the feedback I received was mainly about the images. Firstly, they all needed retaking do to the unfortunate lighting used in the studio which meant that some of the girls were tainted yellow where others were white-washed. Furthermore, it was unanimous that the pictures would look a lot better in black and white as it creates a more dramatic effect against the black canvas background. Also, the handprint was a little unnecessary so I chose to remove that. Next, it was said that the title was too 'Hammer house of horror' and also needed to provided continuity with the trailer so I changed the font and altered the duct tape banner behind to look more authentic and convey the genre better. Also, throughout the drafting process, we changed the title of our film and so that was different in the new poster.

Again, I gained more feedback for the final version of my poster. However, this time I used a survey, promoted on Facebook to reach a larger range of people and therefore receive more varied responses.

After I had finished my final draft of the trailer, I organised another focus group who gave me critique as to the quality of it and fortunately the main criticisms were about the audio which I still had the opportunity to change.

FInal trailer focus group:

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

They were many stages in which I steadily progressed towards making my final trailer. These were all essential to creating an effective piece of coursework.

Research: 

Research was one of the largest sections within my blog and work as a whole, as it contributed to every factor. It gave me contextual knowledge critical to understanding the horror genre and therefore allowing me to apply deeper meanings and levels to my work. The internet hosts an immense range of website which were significantly helpful to my research. Firstly, I used Wikipedia to delve into the plots of previous horror films for inspiration regarding the storyline to convey, the villains mindsets and stereotypical features, to ensure nothing is missed. Then I used YouTube in conjunction with this, to watch a variety of horror trailers, as to create solely a film trailer, you need to know exactly what sort of factors should be conveyed in order to create fear, tension and suspense amongst the audience. They all differed due to the many plots and unique takes some directors choose to employ to install fear and also, people's conception of fear varies for each person, one person's spider is another person's ghost.

Also, I used Google documents to research the genre I was to delve into, by creating a survey, distributed to my target demographic through Facebook. This allowed my to see what they want and expect withing a steretypical trailer, even if it wasn't specifically the type of film they would generally watch, many of the adolescents would have seen professional trailers advertised on television and so could provide appropriate feedback. Although publishing the document on a social network opens the responses to all ages, it meant a got a larger amount of feedback and allowed me to gain further insight.

Furthermore, I used some film-orientated websites to look into films of any genre and how they are analysed and critiqued. Use of Film Education.org and analysis in the style of Movie Marketing Madness allowed me to understand much more of the forms and conventions incorporated in horror films and fully grasp how they affect the audience - therefore giving me insight as to how to utilise this.

Within the construction of my piece, the main technologies within my coursework were used. Firstly, in terms of social networking, as we used Facebook to create a group where we could fairly decide how to distribute each camera to each group every week. Schedules were posted and most of the time the limited amount of cameras proved to be no issue through this organisation. I also used Facebook to gain feedback from my target demographic. I posted both my final poster and magazine cover to my homepage and tagged some people from both genders but my specific age range, this allowed me to gain quick and insightful feedback from a range of people who perhaps may not have ordinarily seen it. This sort of feedback gives me a different perspective on a piece that I may perhaps think is effective whilst others can gage whether I missed any key conventions and also subconsciously apply their personal preferences for magazines and movie posters - regarding what they feel is effective and entices them to watch a film.

I also used a small compact digital camera (Canon IXUS) to take the photographs for my magazine cover, poster and also location shots. This was fairly easy to do as I am confident using these as I often did when younger and so my familiarity made the process a lot simpler and quicker to complete and it was the editing that was the most time-consuming. Also, I used this camera to film my final focus group as I only really needed the audio file and this was easily accessible on short notice and again, simpler to operate.

The main camera and tripod we used were fairly complicated to operate initially, because it is far more advanced in comparison to compact cameras as they have many more functions at our disposal. We had to plan lots of time around each shot as the camera and tripod needed to be correctly set up and positioned for what we wanted to do. Especially as we located our trailer in the woods (mostly) it involved finding steady ground to mount the tripod on and making sure that Alderley Edge looked isolated and eerie, rather than the commercial attraction it has become. Furthermore, we had to watch the focus of the camera, as we conveyed iconography through our repertoire of elements with the close ups of inanimate objects within the setting dripping with blood - connoting danger and some sort of fatality. Also, the night vision was important to get right, and avoid any cheesy/tacky effects and any comparison to The Blair Witch Project which is a handheld, documentary type of film. Originally we wanted to film in standard vision, but due to the lack of lighting equipment available to us and our specific need to film at night, we resorted to using night vision as it was the easiest way to capture the shots we wanted at night. This format only worked with light being shone on the subject however, so that the scene is visible. For this, we used the torch on my iPhone which presented the brightest light with the widest spread.

Adobe PremierPro was difficult to use throughout for a rookie like me. It took me a while to find the tools I wanted to create specific effects on my images, and even longer to find the more advanced tools that aided a professional-looking piece. For example, I could easily cut between shots to shorten, increase pace and tension and convey what I wanted. However, it was adding the transitions that present technical difficulty, for the higher marks, and integrating Adobe After Effects that also warranted further tuition in usage. For my trailer editing, PremierPro was the main software used as it incorporates a variety of tools specifically for editing videos. Without PremierPro, it would have been impossible to create a professional looking trailer because not only does it take time to sift through the sheer volume of footage taken for the effective shots captured, but also many of the more advanced features are not only manipulated using this software, but also sometimes created.

Adobe After Effects was also responsible in contributing to the finishing aspects of the trailer such as titles. We used it to create the letter search effect on each of the little plot-aiding titles; for the blurring, glitching effect on the main title and also the heartbeat effect on 'coming soon'. These were generic options available on After Effects, which we then altered on the text using key frames. Furthermore, we used After Effects to create our own production company 'Distortion films'. I found a royalty free image of an eerie, gnarled tree and then proceeded to cut around around it using photoshop. I then added the text which I altered the proportions of and then finally added the explosion effect. After some tuition on After Effects, creating the final titles became much easier to create and in a lot less time. It was important that these titles supported the trailer and added to the brand continuity of my promotional package. Without After Effects, it would have been harder to integrate the trailer as part of the promotional package and so was definitely a necessary new technology to use!

I also used Adobe Photoshop to edit and manipulate the photographs used throughout my promotional package and specifically to create my magazine cover and poster. As I have been using this software since GCSE stage of my education, I was fairly confident with the majority of the tools functions and therefore tried to use them to the best of my ability. By having a draft stage for each of these, it allowed me to further hone my skills as my audience feedback provided me some key points I needed to alter using the software. The main tool I used was the magic wand in conjunction with the feather edged rubber as they allowed me to remove the backgrounds on each of my pictures which contained impurities, and also to soften the edges as this made the images less stark against the background - mainly regarding the individual mid shots on my poster which were on an unforgiving black background. This was essential to my promotional package as the images needed major alterations and manipulation to make my actors look professional and believable - the aim of the A2 package.

Finally, for the analytical, evaluating elements of my coursework, I used software such as Prezi. This is where I discussed the brand continuity throughout my promotional package and how I'd tried to maintain it throughout each aspect. As this was again, a new and unfamiliar technology to me, it was difficult to create and convey what I wanted, so I kept it simplistic and just tried to use it as well as I could. 

The main technology in this stage, was Blogger which is obviously key to evaluating all my work. Having used it last year, and it being simplistic anyway, I found that it's only downfall was the time consumed by the sheer volume of information and links to other technology incorporated throughout.


To conclude, without any of these significant technologies, this whole film promotional package would have been impossible to create in all areas from extensive research and planning to construction, editing and evaluation.

Planning

This section is aimed at preparing and developing ideas for my film trailer after researching the industry and genre I have chosen to use.



Initial Planning Ideas Document
This shows our very first ideas of what we were trying to convey through our trailer, which has altered and developed significantly since.

Plot
The plot for our trailer/film altered a lot throughout this planning process as we decided whic shots were necessary to the plotline and which needed to be added according to technical difficulty and to conform to stereotypical conventions of a trailer - such as over-the-should shots to present scenes with dialogue.
here is the original plot:

This later changed drastically due to the unnecessary complications that appeared in the storyline, that would be too hard to convey in the short time allowance given for the trailer. The main purpose of our trailer, as most, was to convey the key aspects of the storyline whilst retaining enigma. Enigma is key in most trailers, but especially in those of a horror genre, as the audience wouldn't want to see a film where the villain is predictable. Consequently, we altered the cast balance and relationships between characters so that no one character was insinuated as the victim or villain. The final plot synopsis was changed to this:

Shot List

Risk Assessment
This is our Risk Assessment which was necessary to complete so as to avoid any damage to ourselves, actors, equipment and environment.

Location

For our trailer, we only used two significant locations as the simplicty of the plot meant that we only required specifically a domestic setting and then a 'woods-y' setting. However, each location needed a different time-period within the day due to the events that occured in each one.

This is the other director's house, which we used the kitchen area for some of the dialogue shots and then her drive used for further character and plot establishing. This setting was important to use as typically, adolescents would collaborate to pack for a trip together at one friend's house.

The other setting was a National Trust owned woods called Alderley Edge. This meant that permission needed to be granted by them in order to film there. Fortunately, 3 other groups amongst my peers in Media Studies were also filming at the same location and so rang the National trust and spoke to Christopher Widger who gave permission to all after discussing brief conditions about safety. It was important not to involve passers-by or unnerve them in any way (some horror shots, screams and weapons were used in the making). We used Nightvision to capture the majority of our shots and so location wasn't necessarily important, although we did use the nature such as trees, leaves and logs to effectively convey the scenery.

The final location we used was another of the actors' houses. As we added extra shots towards the deadline, it was a lot easier to film the scene of Ellie getting strangled with a stick in her garden as it was convenient and still looked woods-y with the nightvision in use.

Actors

Due to availabilty and schedules, the same actors weren't always available, which meant reshooting some aspects of our trailer with new actors playing the same character. Fortunately, as our trailer is not actor/character focussed (with a few well-established and known characters), it meant that the plot effectively controlled the trailer, although each character was integral to retaining enigma (no one portrayed as the villain). So, to keep it relatively simple for the audience we had 5 key characters:

Jen's character is mainly established with negative connotations as she is condescending and mean to Ellie about her hesitation and therefore creates an air of suspiscion.

Beckie is shown to be a quiet, 'peacekeeping' character as she reassures Ellie's character before the trip. However, throughout, her blatant effort to be nonchalant and 'under the radar' may increase the belief that she is the killer.

Ellie's character is effectively presented as the vulnerable and uncertain member of the group through her hesistation for the trip and how she is easily forced/manipulated by other members of the group. In this way, she could either be seen as a victim, or again a quietly bitter person with legitimate anger towards the rest of the group and henceforth a motive.

Imogen is a character who is not exactly built upon within the trailer. She doesn't appear in the daytime preparations for the trip and is in fact only seen in the communal campfire and tense rocking shots. The sudden appearance of another character may lead the audience to believe that she is in fact the traitor from the group.

Finally, Lisa is shown to be somewhat the leader of the group as she drives them all to the notorious woods and makes an executive choice to take control when Ellie is deciding whether to opt out of the group. Also, she tells the story that unnerves an already anxious character. Her easy leadership and happiness to indulge in harmful banter, again may persuade the audience that her steely confidence makes her the perfect villain/traitor.

When filming and creating the storyline, as a duo, my partner and I made the decision specifically not to choose which character is the traitor to ensure that we weren't biased and accidently incriminate them which would remove the essential enigma from the trailer.

Within scheduling, it was important to share the cameras fairly and effectively amongst the two classes, as there were not enough for every group to use all the time. We created a Facebook group to organise a system and manage how to distribute them.

Script
This is our draft script for the film trailer. There may be some alterations as situations may change and cause improvisation. There isn't much dialogue throughout as we are using the shots, imagery and sounds diegetic and not, to convey the genre and provoke fear amongst the audience.

Titles

For our titles we are proposing to use some small lines that question the audience and effectively positions them with the characters and also conveys the storyline. For the shots we are planning to take, we feel that only about 5 titles are necessary to create this reaction amongst the audience.

1) When the perfect plan

2) Becomes the perfect opportunity

3) Trapped in isolation

4) Who can you trust?

5) Who will survive

Main title: Traitor

6) Coming Soon

For the first 5 titles, I feel a red and black colour scheme connotes horror and danger and is so appropriate for the genre and will subconsciously affect the audience. Also, the inclusion of rhetorical questions makes the audience ask themselves what they'd do in that situation and therefore increases their interest in the film.

Music

For music, it was difficult to find an effective piece that followed the pace dictated by our film whilst making the audience subconsciously feel the emotions we were trying to convey. Also, as this piece had to be copyright free, we were limited in terms of choice. We chose to look through Freeplay music and browse the various 'feels' such as chilling, eerie, adventurous etc. We then selected a few and edited them to our trailer accordingly.

Shot schedule

Due to the availability of actors and other commitments, we chose to organise our shots by discussion as a partnership and with our actors. Laying out a calendar in hindsight may have been easier and less stressful to follow, however we managed each day well and focussed on what we wanted throughout.

Animatic
For my trailer, I have decided to follow the typical conventions in chronology.

It is essential befor ecreating the actual trailer, to plan each shot. This way you can ensure that the most technically advanced and most appropriate shots are used which effectively sell your trailer to audiences. For ours, we drew out each frame within the trailer, in the order of appearance (rather than chronological, as trailers don't usually provide events in order). They also helped us gage the sheer volume of shots we needed to create the trailer! These Post-it notes were then put in an animatic:

According to this, the trailer will utilise the typical conventions of an opening, introducing the characters to the audience and establishes the main storyline and reasons as to the use of particular settings like the woods. Then there is a few scenes that build on the plot to create enigma for the audience such as the scene in the car where many flashbacks are shown to create motives for each character and consequently leave much confusion and questioning in the plot. This then entices audiences to see the film to effectively learn who the culprit is. The problem(s) is shown with some mystery using our motif of a bloody handprint to convey a fatal discovery, but so as not to reveal significant points, like the killer(s).
Finally, the events will be shown in quick succession with pacey music to increase tension amongst the audience and to retain some secrecy in the storyline.

The conventions with highest priority are probably the build up as the audience need to know what sort of genre the film is and gain some insight into the narrative. Also, the problem(s) is important as it again gives further insight.