- Our establishing shot.
- The whole section of equalibrium including flashbacks in black and white.
- Some disequalibrium with the start of the torture sequence.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Filming so far:
Friday, 26 November 2010
Directing
- The main role of a director is to guide the actors and crew throughout the making of a film as well as being in control of the films artistic and dramatic aspects.
- They work will all of the other team members to ensure that the film looks right including helping decide upon camera angles, lighting, and set design.
The 180 degree rule is something which is very important while directing a film. It is a basic guideline that two characters in the same scene should always have the same right/left relationship to eachother. This just makes it easier for the viewing audience and means that the scene looks better. If the camera closses this imaginary 180 degree line it is called the crossing line and turns into a reverse angles shot. This information will be useful for me when directing the filming of our trailer and will make things look more prefessional.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/180_degree_rule
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Soundtrack
From our questionnaire we could see that people thought music was a very important part of a film trailer so it was crutial that we got it right. We decided to use Hysteria by Muse because it is dark and eary but also builds up tension throughout which will compliment the action in our trailer.
Trailer Plot
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Analysing Trailers
There are four main textual codes to look at when analysing a trailer:
- Mis en scene
- Editing
- Sound
- Camera angles/shots
The first trailer I have analysed is 30 days of night:
- Mis en scene is argulably the most important code as it sets the scene and reflects what the mood of the film is like. In the opening sequence of 30 Days of Night we see immediate isolation within a house, the frightened look on the man and womens face shows that something ominous is going to happen. The bad weather and darkness are a common convention used in horror films because they are symbol of danger. Shots later on in the trailer further show the isolation when all we can see in the darkness is a few people in the snow amogst what look to be run down houses. The sequence in the prison when we see the character talking therough the bars shows that they are trapped in the situtation. Costume is a vital part of mis-en-scene because it is dark all of the clothes are grey and dull which again highlights the bleakness of the trailer.
- Editing is also crutial within a trailer with this one the shots start off relativly long and get shorter and the cuts more frequent to build tension as it progresses. The use of text cards to explain what is happening is an effective piece of editing and because it is on a plain black screen with eary red writing it fits in perfectly. Fade to black is used alot throughout the trailer to add to the tension.
- Alot on non diegetic sound is used to create an atmosphere all the through the trailer. As the atmosphere builds the sound gets louder and eventually merges into dark sounding music to fit the pace of the action. At the beggining there is the diegetic sound of the window breaking and the woman screaming this is very loud and makes the audience jump. As well as this dialogue is used to tell us a little bit about what is happening.
- The opening shot of the trailer is a mid shot of the woman looking worried in the kitchen which them zooms almost to a close up before panning across the room the show the mans reaction in the same way. The birds eye shot of the town shows the isolation and idicates that all is not right. There are a series of quick shots to follow the one which i feel is particularly significant is the one of the 'villan' it is a close up of his face, I found it quite unusual that they would show this in the trailer as normally there is a sense of mystery surrounding the villain or monster however is doesnt give too much away so it is still very effective. Also because we are looking directly at him its as if the viewer is one of his targets which makes him all the more scary. In the shot just before everything goes black we can see something lurking behind the window implying that they are being watched. Shots of fire and weaponary show disater without giving too much away.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is the second trailer I have analysed:
- Mise en Scene. From the very beggining of the trailer we establish that it is going to be scary thanks to the mise en scene. The area for the opening shot is run down with with an abandoned house, the fact that its in black and white adds to the effect. A chase scene follows picking up the pace immediatly and making the audience wonder whats going on. The setting then changes and it appears to go back in time showing children playing. This is like the equlibrium in the trailer but the sound that goes with it means its still very eary. All of the candles spread over the floor have connotations of being spiritual. The shots towards the end of the trailer are relativley short but are packed with excitement. The metal claw hand features frequently throughout the trailer suggesting that its the hand of the villan but doesnt give too much away.
- Editing. The editing in this trailer is fairly straight forward with every transition either being a straight cut or a feade to black. This works well because it keeps the sequence smooth and means people can concentrate on whats happening with getting confused by fancy shot transitions. As the tension builds throughout the trailer and the pace picks up the editing becomes more frequent and the shots shorter.
- Sound. In my opinion the sound is the most effective textual code within this particular trailer. The trailer opens with heavy breathing and fast paced music throwing the audience straight into the action. There is dailogue throughout which tells a little bit about the story. However without a doubt the most important piece of sound is the angelic voice of the child doing the 'one, two freddies coming for you...' it is absolutly spine chilling and compliments whats going on within the trailer perfectly. The voice of the villain is heard towards the end, its low and husky as you would expect and evil characters to be.
- A wide range of camera angles and shots are used within the trailer. It opens with a long establishing shot to set the scene. The length of the shots fits with the speed of the music which ties the whole thing together. The claw like hand becomes a significant part of the trailer because it clearly belongs to the villain but because of the angle of the camera nothing is given away that could spoil the film.
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Questionnaire results
How often do you visit the cinema?
What makes you want to watch a film?
How often do you watch horror films?
What would you consider to be a suitable location for a horror film?
What do you associate with a horror film?
What would you consider to be a suitable name for a horror film?
What creates tension when watching a film?
Should a horror trailer be in chronological order?
Who would you prefer to see as the vulnerable character?
Where do you watch film trailers?
Monday, 4 October 2010
Questionnaire
1. How often do you visit the cinema?
Very often
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
2. What makes you want to watch a film?
Actors
Storyline
Soundtrack
Trailer
Other
3. How often do you watch horror films?
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
Never
4. What would you consider to be a suitable location for a horror film?
Haunted house
Forest
School
Church
Graveyard
Desert island
5. What do you associate with a horror film?
Blood
Chase sequence
Tortue
Supernatural activity
Death
6. What would you consider to be a suitable name for a horror film?
Torment
Infliction
Twisted
Torture
Bullied
7. What creates tension when watching a film?
Backing track
Loud sound effects
Costume
Quick close shots
Silence
8. Should a horror trailer be in chronological order?
Yes
No
Partly
9. Who would you prefer to see as the vulnerable character?
Male
Female
Both
10. Where do you watch film trailers?
At the cinema
On the television
On the internet
On your phone
Sunday, 3 October 2010
What is a horror trailer?
A film that inflicts fear and terror into its audience and typically involves themes of death, supernatural activity, or mental illness. Most also involve a central villain.
Our trailer will be a teaser trailer to be shown in cinemas before other films start and also online to tap into the viral market which is now a vital part of advertising and film promotion. I will be no longer than 2 and a half minutes with its purpose being to grab peoples attention and ultimatley convince them to see the film when it is released.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Roles and Responsibilities
- I will be in charge of directing and looking at continuety.
- Chloe is taking on the task of filming and lighting.
- Laura is responsible for costume, props and make up.
- While Thomas will choose the locations as well as staring in the trailer alongside Laura.
We decided that all of the editing should be carried out collectivley as a group because it is such a vital and vast task and it would be unfair to leave it all to one person.
A2 Proposal
Monday, 10 May 2010
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Public opinion
This is Kiran she is a 17 year old sixth form student and therefore would be the sort of person my magazine is aimed at. This is what she thought:
Monday, 15 March 2010
Evaluation
My work consists of a front cover, contents page, and an article, which is a double page spread plus another single page. Harmony is the name of my magazine and the genre of music it contains is mainly pop. After carrying out some research I decided that I would create a magazine aimed at women, aged 17-25 because they were lacking in the market. It is a monthly magazine so that the cost isn’t too great and people can therefore afford to keep buying it. The colour scheme I chose for the magazine was pink and purple as they are stereotypically feminine colours to appeal to my audience. I used these colours consistently through out my magazine to give it a sense of identity. This is a common convention of all magazines such as, NME, which is famous for its red and black colour scheme. In designing a music magazine for women I have challenged the conventions of the industry because many music magazines target men. Also by mid to late teens, my research told me that most females preferred a lifestyle and celebrity magazine which is why my magazine is not all about the music; it looks at other things they are interested in order to appeal to them. This is a copy of an NME cover and as you can see the colours and general style of the magazine is stereotypically masculine, with the male artists and dark colours.
It does however follow many other conventions of real media products for example; I have used hooks on the cover to grab the reader’s attention, and one main image. As well as this there are the more simple conventions like having a masthead, strap line, barcode and a price on the cover. To make the cover look tidy and professional the hooks are justified down the right and left sides of the page, so not to interfere with the main image. The photo of my models is a medium close up in which they are staring straight at the camera, this draws attention to the cover and is a common magazine style. According to the theory of Naomi Wolf (1991) by using attractive women you are appealing to your audience because women aspire to be like them and therefore buy the magazine. Another theory, which I looked at, was the theory of Marjorie Ferguson (1980.) She identified four types of facial expressions, which occur in most women’s magazines:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze11.html
My photo would come under the category chocolate box, although you can see their teeth the pose is not dramatic enough to me classed as super smiley. This invites the audience to read on inside without the image being so overpowering that it puts them off.
My models’ photo would come under the category of chocolate box; although you can see their teeth the pose is not dramatic enough to be classed as a super-smiler and is rather still. The models’ heads just cover part of the magazine name but it can still be easily read, which is also a common convention of cover layout.
I carried out a survey to see what people thought I should call the magazine the favourite was ‘Harmony.’ This fits in with my female audience and also has links to music. Not only does it have connotations of music but also of co-operation and friendship. I wanted to promote an ambience of friendship so readers would feel welcomed and more inclined to buy it.
The mast-head and strap line are large enough so that they can be easily recognised, a common convention of magazines. I added effects such a drop shadow and bevel and emboss on Photoshop to make them stand out further. Above the mast-head there are the names of some popular artists which my target audience are interested in that are featured inside the magazine. The names are contained inside a menu bar. If people can easily see that there is a person they a fan of inside the magazine they are more likely to buy it.
It is a convention that magazines use a limited number of fonts and text colours so that the page does not look too busy and confuses the reader. An example of this is Vibe magazine this particular issue uses a red and black colour scheme throughout and has only two different fonts.
By putting the barcode price and date all together in one corner I am not detracting the attention away from the rest of the cover, again this is a common feature of any magazine. All the text, which has hooks for stories, is justified down the left and right side to make it look professional and tidy. The hooks are all for stories which people survey in my questionnaire said they would like to see in the magazine. In order for the readers to be able to distinguish between the hooks and the main story I have put the text in a much larger font and added effects. The name of the band ‘Miss-Fits’ is in completely different font, baby kruffy, and I have used a gradient tool so that it stands out even further. It is important that the main story is the most obvious on the cover because this is a convention of all magazines such as NME, Closer and Blender.
By using a word like ‘exclusive’ it makes the reader think that they are getting something extra from this magazine that they cannot read anywhere else. I got this idea from ‘OK’ magazine, which is a popular women’s celebrity, and fashion magazine.
My contents page has similar aspects to NME contents pages in that it is split up into sections so that the story you are looking for is easier to find. I have photos of stories featured inside. A letter from the editor also features on this page, although music magazines don’t do this very often, apart from the odd one like Uncut. A lot of women’s magazines like, closer do and because my magazine is aimed at women I saw this as a good way to appeal to my market.
The heading “contents” is in large text at the top of the page so that there is no confusion for the readers. I chose to overlap the month of the issue over the top because it means that there is enough space to include all of the other information a contents page needs. I got this idea from a teen magazine called Bliss. The bottom half of the page is dedicated to the stories inside the magazine; there is the page number and a little bit of information about what they can expect to see or read. It is important to have page numbers as this is a common convention and also makes it easy for the reader to find a story that caught their eye on the front cover. This is regularly seen in music magazines. Down the side I have a created a sort of filmstrip in which some photos featured inside the magazine are shown. There are boxes around the outside of the photos to make them look attractive. I added effects such as drop shadow and bevel and emboss to give the illusion that the photos are Polaroid’s coming out of the page. By sticking with the same colour scheme of pink and purple I am allowing the magazine to flow better as well as complying with conventions. Whilst doing my research I found that a lot of magazines talk a little bit about what readers can expect to find in next months issue. I chose to do this as well by writing about it at the end of my editor’s letter; this will keep the reader interested and persuade them to continue buying the magazine.
My feature article also follows many conventions of a real magazine article. First of all one of the most basic conventions is that the text is all set out into columns in a question and answer format. Again the text and colours are similar to the rest of the magazine to illustrate consistency and professionalism. The use of quotations is also seen regularly in articles so I included this feature. The images are also an important part of the article as they are a strong visual means of making people want to read on.
This is an example of closer magazine using quotations in their articles:
“He told us we would be better off pursuing a career in something more on our level like pole dancing!” It is a shocking quotation and therefore will immediately grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read on. This is how I appeal to my reader. I have used four different photos and have adjusted them all to brighten the colour using curves and colour balance on Photoshop. The main image is half the size of the double page; this is often done in music magazines. Before putting the image onto the article I cropped it so that the models would be the main focus of the photo and not the surrounding area. I have added captions beside or underneath the photos to explain what it is showing because this is a technique often used. The opening paragraph is used to catch the reader’s attention and make them want to read on even if they were just planning on scanning through. The text starts with a letter H that is larger then the rest of the text this is a very common way to start feature articles in magazines. At the end of the article there is a web address, which readers can log into to see an online web chat version of the interview with ‘Miss-Fits.’ As well as this the website features lots of other little extras such as competitions and, information on the bands exclusive gigs before they go on sale to the masses. This will appeal to my target audience as it involves new popular technology.
How does your media product represent social groups?
My feature article was the area where I decided to concentrate on highlighting a particular social group. From my research I had already decided that it would represent late teens- early 20’s females with an interest in music. The story is about three young girls who have made it into the music business via a TV talent show but prior to that they faced huge set backs in the industry for reasons such as sexism and not having a lot of money. The whole point is that even though they faced difficulties both for being from working class families and for their gender, they never gave up until they achieved their dream. This will be inspirational to readers and encourage them to follow in the girls’ footsteps not necessarily in the music industry but just to pursue their dreams in general. Not only does the article portray young women in a positive light is also show that just because you are from a background that might be considered disadvantaged it does not mean you have to stay that way for the rest of your life.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I think that Bauer would be a good company to distribute my magazine. It is home to some of the biggest and most influential magazines in the UK like the popular music magazine Q, so I think it would be perfect. They distribute a wide range of magazines but they currently do not have any music magazines aimed at young women so by adding my magazine to their chain they will be broadening their target audience even further therefore increasing their profit. Also because Bauer is associated with lots of successful magazines such as Mojo and Grazia it already has the infrastructure to get my magazine into stores and can support a magazine aimed at a niche audience. As there are not really any music magazines for young women out there at the minute it so I would be opening up a new market amongst a niche audience and, therefore, increasing Bauer’s profits.
What would be the audience for your media product?
I decided to aim my magazine at young women aged 17-25 as this was the most popular age range to buy magazines in my questionnaire. My magazine mainly contains pop music, as this was the favourite genre chosen by my target audience. By pricing my magazine at £2.50 it is just under the price of many other magazines on the market such as OK, a magazine that my target audience frequently buy, as well as other music magazine such as Q and Uncut which although they might not necessarily buy they can still compare prices with. This gives my magazine a competitive edge.
When carrying out my research I found that the young women who are most likely to buy my type of magazine are lower middle or upper-working class as they are the ones which have disposable income to spend on things like CD’s, downloads, concerts, and of course magazines, hence the reason I chose to aim my product at them. Another common thing magazine companies do to get people to buy their magazine over others is to give away free gifts or advertise big competitions on the cover. I decided to have a competition in which people can win 2 tickets to see Beyonce live at the O2 arena in London.
How did you attract/address your audience?
Before I even started to make the magazine I handed out questionnaires to my target audience to see what they would like to see in a music magazine. From the results I was able to tailor my magazine to fit the needs of my audience therefore appealing directly to them using hooks and stories that interest them. The models on the cover and throughout my magazine are around the same age as my target audience, but they are famous so this will attract people further. According to Naomi Wolf’s ‘Beauty Myth’ (1991) women buy magazines with other attractive women on the cover because patriarchal society conditions women to aspire to be like them and, they see them as positive role models, hence the reason I used the girls that I did on my cover. This also ties in with the Uses and Gratifications theory because my target audience will identify with the people and stories on the cover, even if it is just wishful thinking and as a result will be more likely to buy the product. For example the main story features three girls that wanted to make it in the music industry and despite major setbacks they never gave up and finally achieved their dream. This story will inspire other young women like them to follow their own dreams and will make them feel good about themselves. Another aspect of Uses and Gratifications is that people can rely on the media product for ‘information’. The main cover photo relates to this story, the photograph I used relates to Marjorie Fergusons facial expressions (1980) and would come under the ‘chocolate box’ expression because it is a sweet, angelic pose. This will attract my audience because they will aspire to be like the girls in the photo without feeling too intimidated by them.
Another way I attracted my audience was to mention famous artists and bands on the cover to grab attention. By using colloquial language and contractions throughout the magazine it will make the reader feel like we are on the same level and that they can relate to what is being said. Because women tend to be more interested in lifestyle magazines I decided not to make my magazine all about the music and looked at other aspects such as the fashion of the artists and what goes on in their lives. This will keep the audience interested because I am not just concentrating on one particular side of music. Even some of the most successful magazines such as Q are beginning to take this direction in order to attract a wider audience. Involving your audience plays a huge part in getting magazine sales, which is why I have included a competition on my front cover. By getting the audience involved you give them a sense of ownership, they are no longer passive readers, so they’d be more likely to buy the magazine.
After I completed my magazine, I handed out the finished product to 25 people who fit the categories for my target audience. The main reason for doing this was to get some feedback and to see if they thought that my magazine would be successful. This was what a few of them had to say:
“I really like the idea of a music magazine for women, I love music but there was never any magazines out there aimed at me. The cover grabbed my attention straight away with the bright colours.”
Ashleigh, 18 student
“The main article was really inspirational and made me want to follow my dream, the way it was set out with the quote at the top with the big photo immediately made me want to read on.”
Beth, 21 sales assistant
“I loved the whole of the magazine. The hooks on the cover were really affective because as soon as I saw them it made me want to look inside to see what else I would find.”
Leanne, 19 beautician
“The colours and fonts are really pretty and girly. The editor’s letter on the contents page gave you information about what you could find in the next issue as well as this one. I thought that this was good because it’ll make people look forward to next month’s issue and buy it.”
Hannah, 22 student
“I think the magazine will sell really well it is full of information and looks attractive. It also appealed to me because it is priced slightly lower than existing magazines on the market.”
Amy, 20 airhostess
After reading over people’s views and reflecting on my work myself, I feel that what I have produced could be successful in the media industry. It could go on sale in newsagents and other magazine selling companies where it would most likely compete with the wide range of women’s celebrity magazines out there, such as Closer and Reveal. I don’t think that would particularly compete with other music magazines because they are primarily aimed at a male audience.
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?
The first new skill I learned while creating this project was how to use a digital camera and tripod to take high quality photos as well as being able to adjust the white balance.
I also learned a lot of new skills whilst using Photoshop. For example I now know how to cut out images on Photoshop and manipulate them in order to make them brighter. This was my photo just after I cut it out before playing around with the colour balance.
After brightening the photo by adding curves, altering the hue/saturation and colour balance it looked like this:
I also learned how to make text stand out on the page by adding drop shadow, bevel and emboss, and gradient. An example of this is on my front cover where I have added bevel and emboss and well as using the gradient tool to give the text ‘Miss-Fits’ two colours so that it would stand out from the other text on the page. Now I have the skill to be critical of my own work in a positive way in order to get the best possible result, I took hundreds of photos on the digital camera and was able to single out the best ones to use in my magazine.
Before I started this project I had never used a blog before and now I can easily update my progress for my work on BlogSpot. BlogSpot only the examiner and other markers of my work would be able to see it but, because it is posted online anybody who wishes to can view both my practical work and research.
By doing this I have created a media product in the age of web 2.0 that has been published on the internet, which can be accepted by an international audience, therefore who potentially, could give me feedback on my work.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When I look back at my preliminary work I know that I have learned an awful lot about how to create a magazine. With my preliminary task I did not have a great deal of time to pull everything together but my final product had a much longer production period. This allowed me to research music magazines thoroughly and analyse them to see what products existed on the market. This allowed me to see what conventions they used and loom at how magazines of different genres appealed to their audiences. In doing this I was able to create a magazine that was a bit different and that would target my audience more effectively. Not only did I learn a lot about research but this task also enabled me to improve my technical skills greatly. My work now looks more professional because I can use effects to manipulate images to make them look better and can reorganise the layout until it looks the best it can because I became more confident with imaging software and desk top publishing. Because people have commented on my work, I can take the feedback they give on board and see if there is anything I can do to improve it. All of these things would make my magazine more likely to succeed against existing products on the market like, NME, Q magazine, and even celebrity and lifestyle magazines such a Closer. The magazine I have produced is suitable for a national audience, as opposed to a localised one and to do this I’ve understood the importance of analysis research of existing products, as well as the importance of finding out what my audience needs and how to best appeal to that audience.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Flat Plans
Front Cover
This is the third draft of my cover.
-I have used colour balance, hue/saturation and brightness to change the complection of my models. I think that this brightens up the cover greatly and makes the models look happier.
-I also used selctive colour to adapt the colour of their faces further.
-The price i decided to set my magazine at was £2.50 this is becuase it is within the preferred price range that I found from my questionaire for my target audience.
-Changing the photo was my main aim in my third draft and I feel that I have now achieved that successfully.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Front Cover
Front Cover
Contents Page
-My original idea for the top half of my contents page was to have a annotated version of my front cover telling people a little bit more about what was inside.
-However when i thought about it i decided it wouldn't look very good, so decided to go with an editors letter instead.
-The letter is in a simple arial text to make it easy to read.
-I cropped the photo of the editor and adjusted the curves to make it brighter.