Evaluation 3 - What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

Throughout the process of creating and developing all 3 of my products; trailer, poster and magazine cover I made many changes, some suggested in class feedback, teachers, student or on my own accord.

Firstly. after finishing the first draft of our trailer as a group, it was shown to the class in order to gain feedback and other people's opinion on how to improve it. The first suggestion was to add intertitles throughout the trailer to give an insight to the narrative. Despite this after discussion with the group and other class members we decided against this change due to the structure of our trailer and the fast pace. We felt that it would slow down the trailer because of the quick cuts and editing we made to create tension, adding intertitles would mean slow cuts would split up the fast shots so the suspense wouldn't build as effectively. In addition to this, we didn't want to make the narrative too clear in our trailer to add the element of mystery, making people intrigued and want to watch the whole film but adding intertitles might take this away.

The class also felt that the transition from slow to fast pace editing where one music track ends whilst another begins wasn't smooth enough. It was suggested that we edit or change the music so that the tracks blend together better. To fix this we first tried replacing the first track 'If She's An Angel' by Charlotte Campbell with a slower and less upbeat version of the second track we found on Freeplay music. However, we wanted the transition to be sudden and surprising which was lost by doing this so we returned to the original first track. Instead we slowed down the last syllable of the song to make it fade out with an echoey effect as the next song fades in. After experimenting with a few different methods we found that the most effective way of transitioning was to have the first track fade out slowly, pause for silence for a second and then have the next fast pace song fade in.

Our trailer began with a midshot of two characters talking to each other as a voiceover plays over the top. When the class watched this, many people throughout is was supposed to be what the characters were saying in the shot which isn't what we had intended. To fix this problem we swapped the first shot with a  long shot of the characters walking away together. The camera tracks behind them so it is clear that the voiceover is separate to the visuals, avoiding confusion.

For my magazine cover I was given a few things to improve on by the teacher and class. Firstly the smaller text advertising what is inside the magazine was difficult to read because of the thin font. This was easy to fix as I found putting the font in bold looked better and by increasing the size it also filled empty space. Another suggestion was to use Photoshop blending options on the masthead to make it look legitimate and more edited and put together, rather than simple. I found that adding a small white glow around the text helped solve this problem by making it stand out against the dark background and adding layer to the page adding a 3D effect. The barcode was blurry so I also replace that to improve the quality and added a price to the cover too.

First Draft

Final Product

For my poster I only made a few changes from my first draft to final product. The first piece of feedback I was given was that my billing block didn't look legitimate. To improve this I condensed the size of the text making it narrower. From this I learnt that I could include a lot more information still using the same small space at the bottom of the poster. I also made the 'Coming Soon' text bigger and brighter to stand out more. It could easily be missed on the black background as the text was dark red so by making it bright red it draws in the eye but doesn't take the focus away from the title and images because it is still small.

The final suggestion I was given was to add another image in the background as there was a lot of empty space which I agreed with. I decided that adding an image of a candle would be effective by implying the supernatural genre as well as the fact that it is a significant prop from the film. I cut out the image and lowered the opacity level to make it faint in the background but felt that it looked unprofessional and amateur so decided to leave it as it was.

First Draft

Second Draft

Final Product

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

SCRIPT:
A common element in my 3 texts is the synergised font of the title. We used 2 different fonts, serif and sans serif, for the film title and kept them the same in the trailer and my poster. This allows the title to be consistent and therefore immediately recognisable in relation to the film. In both the trailer and poster the title is large and a main focus on the screen as it is an important piece of information. Although, I didn't continue with this text design on my magazine cover as I felt that it didn't fit with the rest of the cover because of the colour theme. I wanted it to stand out but not look out of place so instead I used a bold sans serif font that was used throughout the rest of my cover in a dark grey colour.

For my poster, I chose only to feature the main character as she is the protagonist of the film and therefore it was important she was the focus. However, I also included the silhouette of a man representing the antagonist despite hiding his identity, implying the good vs bad narrative, and also suggesting the horror/supernatural sub-genres. She is turned away from the silhouette which is positioned behind her and looking down at the floor with a concerned expression. This implies she is scared of something and unaware of the 'man' behind her, giving a vague insight into the narrative. She is wearing a black top with dark makeup as black typically represents death and evil, therefore fitting with the plot as she is believed to be the cause of the crimes.

The main image on my magazine cover is a close up of Holly, the protagonist, but I also included smaller images of screen shots from the film. These include other characters such Amy and Natalie, the small images mean that they don't stand out like Holly does but implies that the cast is mostly teenagers which attracts our demographic as it is a relatable age group. Holly has a worried expression on her face, looking away from the camera implying that she is scared of something, therefore giving a hint at the narrative. Like my poster, Holly is wearing a black top and dark makeup, once again representing evil which fits with the film's narrative. Despite this, Holly wears brighter colours in the trailer as we wanted her to look like a normal student and didn't want her to be represented as evil throughout the entire film.

A common convention of thriller is the use of darkness and black, not only because of what the colour represents but also because it creates fear. Therefore I used this as a common element in my 3 texts, creating synergy. A lot of the trailer is filmed in the evening or edited with low key lighting as well as the intertitles which have a black background. For my poster I chose a grey to black gradient background to fit this theme along with Holly's dark clothes, connoting the genre. I didn't want to make my magazine cover too dark as I want it to draw people's attention and stand out. To do this I make the background solid black but used brighter colours like red and yellowy-green for the text and edited images.

Finally, I kept the institutional information consistent between my trailer and poster to create synergy, however this only includes the credits in the billing block and 'Coming Soon' which is in the trailer intertitles and poster. 'Coming Soon' is written in bold text on both products to catch the eye of the demographic and increase their interest in researching it. By including information such as the production company, actors etc in the billing blocks it creates good expectations based on their previous work, giving the audience an idea of what quality to expect from the film and encouraging them to watch it. I didn't include any institution information for the film on my magazine cover as it was unnecessary and might have over-crowded the page.

Overall, I think my campaign is effective in creating synergy between my main product and ancillary texts. The consistent colour theme connotes that it is thriller genre, therefore drawing in the demographic through all platforms. The use of the same fonts for the title and intertitles means that the products are clearly identified with 'In the Shadows' as well as the clear images of the protagonist, instantly making a connection between them all and advertising the film to the intended audience.

Evaluation 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of conventions from real media products?

Low Key Lighting

Low key lighting is typical convention of the thriller genre, so it is common for media products, like my own, to be dark or dully lit. Examples of this are in the trailers for Carrie, 1408 and The Gallows, all of which feature dark settings throughout. Low key lightning was achieved in my trailer by filming in the evening or by adding a dark filter over the footage during editing, shown in frame 1. The darkness builds tension and makes the audience feel scared as it limits your senses and creates a fear of the unknown, as well as typically connoting sadness or evil.

Film Title

The film title is the most important piece of information in a trailer, therefore it is common that the title is shown on screen in a large and clear font, easy for people to read quickly and so it stands out. In our trailer we chose to show the title, 'In The Shadows', with a plain black background so that the white text stands out and can't be missed. We also displayed the title on 2 separate lines; 'In The' on the first and 'Shadows' on the second line as during research we found this is common. For example 'Last House On The Left' and 'Panic Room' both have each word on a separate line, making the titles seem staggered rather that too long. The film title is often displayed at the end of a trailer as it is easier for the audience to remember if it is one of the last things to be seen, therefore we displayed the title towards the end before the final shots of institutional information. Black and white are typical colours to use for a thriller title, shown by the titles of 'Se7en' and 'The Ring'. For In The Shadows we chose a white font on a black background, the colours contrast to make the text stand out and black typically represents death and evil whilst white means innocence and purity, fitting with our plot of good vs bad.

Institutional Information
There is institutional information included on both my poster and trailer. The information includes includes credits, the film website, production company and age rating. Displaying the institutional information at the very end of a trailer is a typical convention. It is important information to include but has no effect on the audience reaction which is why leaving it until the last few shots means that it doesn't impact the pace or audience reaction the trailer creates. However, we also challenged this convention because even though the institutional information isn't shown until towards the end, the final shot of the trailer is a single close up shot of the protagonist whispering "help me" to the camera after the information is displayed. We did this because it wouldn't be expected as it is an uncommon thing to do, therefore catching the audience by surprise and helping to emphasise the fear the trailer aims to create.

Bold Masthead
A bold masthead is a vital convention for a magazine cover as the magazine name is the most important piece of information on a cover, immediately letting the reader know what type of information is inside to attract the demographic. Through my research I found that the text is often large and sans serif so it's easy to read and stands out against the other images and text on the cover.

Frame 4 shows my masthead. I chose a sans serif font in a bold deep red colour to stand out against the black background but also match the colour scheme which I found was common for magazine covers to do. As red typically represents blood or danger it also fits with the film and genre of thriller which it advertises. The name of my magazine is 'Closeup' implying that the magazine focuses on every detail and is in depth.

Ancillary Text Images
I chose images for my poster and magazine that would make the overall appearance seem well put together with a similar structure to real ones that I have previously analysed. It is typical for magazine covers to have a large single image from the promoted film at the centre of the page as the main focus to draw in fans and the intended audience. For my magazine cover I used an image of the protagonist, Holly, as she is immediately recognised as a link to 'In The Shadows' and therefore attracts the target audience. It is a mid shot to show the concerned look on her face, implying she is the victim/underdog of the film. It also attracts the 15-25 year old demographic as she is clearly shown to be in this age group, making the film more appealing and relatable. However, I also included smaller screen shots of other characters, props and settings from the trailer to give an insight to the rest of the film.

There are 2 main images on my poster. The first is a long shot of the protagonist looking down and showing a worried expression. It is a typical poster convention to feature the main character as the focus point because as mentioned previously she is immediately recognised as a link to the film. This is also the case on the posters for 'Carrie' ad 'Shutter Island'. However it is also typical that poster include other images which give an insight to the narrative, for example a significant prop or setting. On my poster, I used a silhouette of a man positioned behind Holly to look as though she is being watched by him, giving a brief insight to the narrative. In addition to this, inside the silhouette is an image of the a setting which has a significant part in the film.

Fast Pace Editing
Fast pace editing is common in trailers for thrillers as it helps build the tension for the audience or emphasise chaos or panic. During research I found that the trailer for 'Carrie' does this, but begins slow and picks up the pace as the trailer progresses, creating suspense before the final shots of chaos and fear. My own trailer follows a  similar structure as the pace begins slow, however rather than a gradual build there is a sudden transition from slow to fast  to catch the audience by surprise. Fast pace editing is also used effectively in 'The Gallows' trailer, creating suspense and fear in the audience as they are challenged to keep up with the quick shots.

Props
For our trailer we made sure to include props which connote the genre of thriller such as a candle shown blowing out in a close up shot to imply the supernatural is a significant part of the narrative as well as a black hoodie typically representing anti-social behaviour worn by one of the characters.  An example of a film in which props are of key significance is 'The Last House On The Left' which uses props such as knives and guns, typically connoting the genre of horror/thriller.

Setting/Location
Frame 8 shows a key setting in our film. It is a stereotypical convention of thrillers to be set in the woods and we chose this setting because it creates fear. In the trees the characters are vulnerable because it disables you from seeing far ahead, is it isolated and away from civilisation and often dark because of the sunlight being blocked by trees. Due to well known films such as 'The Last House On The Left' and 'Eden Lake' being set in woods, the audience expects there are dangers in the trees or things hiding. Our film also features settings such as an empty field, once again emphasising the isolation, suggesting there is no help near for the characters and a school setting which is a realistic and relatable setting for the film's demographic. This makes it scarier for the audience as it is a place featured in their everyday lives and keeps the effect of the film with them even after the they are finished watching.

Characters
Our film follows the typical convention of binary opposites - good vs bad, similar to films like 'Saw' or 'The Last House On The Left'. However, we also challenged this convention as the antagonist of the film is unclear to the audience. The audience gets to know the antagonist throughout the film so when it is revealed he is the criminal the audience feel some sympathy for him. This is similar to the character of Carrie in the 2013 film 'Carrie' as she is the antagonist of the film but as is also the main character we get to know her and can feel sympathetic for her rather than the typical character role of good characters vs bad ones.

On the other hand, there is the typical character role of damsel in distress as the main character, something with I found is quite common in thrillers - 'The Last House On The Left', 'Eden Lake', 'The Gallows' etc. We chose to use this convention

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

The most important piece of new technology we used in the production of our trailer was a HD camera to record all the shots we needed for the trailer. We used it to get a wide range of shots in order to keep the trailer interesting and moving, keeping the audience drawn in. The zoom on the camera became useful when we needed close ups such as the candle as it allowed us to achieve a close up shot whilst keeping the camera away from the flame, however we found that the zoom could only be used when the camera was still to avoid shakey footage.We used the light built into the front of the camera for filming internal shots in the dark. The torch meant that the focus of the shot could be lit well enough to be seen clearly whilst maintaining the dark environment around. In addition, we also used the camera for recording the voiceovers, then during the editing process removed the visuals. This meant that the sound quality and volume was consistent to match what had already been filmed.

The group used Facebook - specifically Facebook Messenger - to communicate through the planning, filming and editing process. This was helpful as it allowed us to plan and discuss decisions as a group outside of school and be in immediate communication with each other when necessary. We used it to plan when to meet up and film, organise who would be responsible for equiptment at any given time, plan as a group ahead of lessons (particularly before presentations or deadlines to ensure timing was never an issue) as well as a platform to share photos of settings, characters, storyboards, etc which we all needed access to.

Direct Message on Twitter was what we used to contact Charlotte Campbell - the artist whose song we use in our trailer for the opening half. She is a friend of a group member which meant communicating and getting a relatively fast response from her was easy. It was important that we contacted Charlotte as her permission was necessary before using her own work for our project, which she granted us.

To find music to use that wasn't copyright, we used a website called Freeplay Music and found a track called 'Pretty Parties' to fit with the fast pace part of the trailer. The website allowed us access to hundreds of tracks of all genres which we narrowed down by searching key words such as 'thriller' to find the track that best suited our trailer. We decided on 'Pretty Parties' after listening to many tracks and felt it was most suiting because of the fast-pace beat to match the quick cuts and helps emphasise the building suspense. The track was then downloaded from the website and transferred to the editing software we were using.

Blogger is an effective platform I used to document my progress in the research, planning and editing of my trailer as well as the evaluations. It is accessible both at home and school which meant any changes/progress could immediately be recorded and is available on computers, phone, tablet etc. In order to use Blogger, I needed a Gmail account, which I created last year specifically for my AS blog. Blogger allowed me to stay organised and keep everything in one place as well as share videos and photos of work done in lesson and easily look back at what research I've done, when decisions or changes were made. In addition to this, as everything is recorded online it means that it is not only easily accessible for examiners and teachers but also means that I can view my own work quickly without signing into my account.

The editing software we used to create our trailer was Adobe Premiere Pro. I had never used this software before due to changing schools after AS Level so it was a challenge to learn how to use it to it's full advantage but as a group we managed to get used to it quickly. Some of the most useful and commonly used features of the software was the cutting tool to delete any unnecessary footage, adding a dark filter to footage that we wanted to look like night time but was too bright and the dip to black transition which we used to create an eerie and ghostly effect during the slow-paced beginning and the transition before the pace of the trailer picks up.

YouTube was helpful for when it came to sharing our project at each step as it is where we uploaded our first pitch, draft trailer and final product. By doing this I could then link the videos to my blog so it is easily accessible and could be referred back to and explaining in a blog post. YouTube was also useful during the research process as I could quickly and easily watch other thriller trailers to analyse, compare and study common conventions to consider using in my own trailer which I also attached to my research blog posts.

As a group we used Adobe Photoshop several times during the research and editing process. For research I used Photoshop to imitate a Total Film magazine cover which promoted the film 'Jupiter Ascending'. I had little experience with the programme so this helped me to discover and practice the different features and methods to Photoshop, the most useful features being the lasso tool to cut images out and paint pot to copy the exact colour from the original cover to my own. I then created a similar cover to promote my teen angst film I made last year at AS Level to practice using the programme more.

The first image that was created for our trailer using this software was the production company logo. This was a simple design of 3 overlapping circles with layered text so it was a short process after a few draft attempts. The film title 'In The Shadows' was also made on Photoshop. The words 'In The' were written in a plain white sans serif font but we wanted the word 'Shadows' to stand out so required more editing. Using the blending options we created a gradient from black to white over the text to resemble a shadow and added a drop shadow so the word reflected in the first line, adding more depth. The institutional information for the trailer was made on Photoshop which mostly involved layering text on a blank background, we added a glow to the background using blending option and shadows to some text and images.

Finally, Adobe Photoshop was what I used to create my poster and magazine cover promoting my film. It was simple enough to create the basic layout from what I had learnt from previous tasks but it became a challenge when trying to make it look legitimate. I found that when using the lasso tool if I increased the level of feathering it blended the edges which helped as well as using blending options to create a glow around text to make it stand out.

Google Search was very useful during the research stage as it was a quick and easy way to research typical thriller conventions, films, magazine covers and posters, theorists etc as well as access to website such as Youtube, Freeplay Music and Blogger.

We needed a USB memory stick to transfer things from computers outside of school to the PC we were editing on and vice versa. This included the production company logo, institutional information and the final trailer so that they could be saved and put in the trailer or on our blogs. It was also a way of sharing things so they were accessible to everyone in the group and teachers for feedback.

Finally, I used my mobile phone during the evaluation stage to record my voiceover reading the script for evaluation 2. After recording it one paragraph at a time I sent each audio clip to my computer to be edited over the top of my trailer.

'In The Shadows' Magazine Cover Final

 

'In The Shadows' Poster Final

'In The Shadows' Poster Draft

 

First Draft

Second Draft

'In The Shadows' Magazine Cover Draft