4. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Like any media product, gaining feedback is an important stage to the success of that product as it's this which allows the producers to see if anything needs to be changed. The aim to is produce something that your target audience would want to watch and therefore it was important the we were doing this.

Before we dived straight into our main trailer, we produced our plot for it and presented this to our teacher and peers. The plot went down well and we gained some further feedback from our teacher Mr Morris who gave us points on aspects we needed to think about and tackle.

What we got back from this was the plot was very complex and sound and something that relates to a niche market with regards to target audience. He thought there was a strong connection between our plot and Trainspotting however thought Alice and Wonderland shouldn't be regarded as an inspiration as much as Trainspotting. He also made us aware about the locations, and how autumn was upcoming and therefore we needed to film soon in order to keep continuity, as well as to respect others when in the graveyard. We aimed to have some outsiders of the group help us with acting and he made us aware that a lot of work was needed in order to get everyone available.

After hearing him list a number of aspects that needed to be looked at, we understood the work at task and what was needed to do in order to produce a successful film trailer.

Here is a shot of the video for Mr Morris' feedback. (Click to enlarge)

Rather than record straight through, we thought it would be wise to present some clips to our peers and teachers hoping for some feedback from them, checking if were along the right lines. The feedback received was fairly positive indicating what was good and how we could improve. We presented three clips to the class, these were;

·        Rob and Alice bench scene

·        Rob walking up.

·        Daryl Snorting Scene (Sherbet)

                                                                                                

What we leant going into the next stage of recording was how it important the camera angles are and how a range would be most applicable. From this we learnt not to make the clips too long as these can affect the flow of the trailer and create a dull look when watching. Furthermore it was important that we took these aspects and incorporated them into the rest of the clips.

Here shows the feedback for these clips. (Click to enlarge)

A couple of weeks after this we produced our first draft for our trailer and we again presented this to our media teacher and peers. We managed to incorporate everything our teacher said however we didn't receive the positive feedback we hoped for.

The feedback for this can be found here and it was clear that we had to produce a lot of work in order to improve. We were told there was a number of scenes that didn't go well and the sequential order of the film along with the music didn't work, something that we aimed would work from the beginning. The main point behind this was that they weren't understanding the trailer and looking back we can see why with an order of clips that produced no real end product and plot. As well as this point, there were other smaller aspects that could be improved.
What we learned from this was how important it is for the audience and decoders to understand the storyline, because without it no one will want to see the film. Taking this into account, we took the detailed points and aimed to make improvements for our trailer.

Here is a screenshot of the intial draft along with some feedback underneath.(Click to enlarge)

About a week later the second version was edited with us trying to incorporate the feedback where necessary.

Here is a screenshot for the second draft along with some feedback underneath.(Click to enlarge)

What we gathered from the second draft was we had improved on the sequential order, however were still lacking on providing a complete understanding of the trailer. We were also made aware of smaller aspects that could be added in order to improve. The feedback we focused on most was;

·        Make a black/white contrast to differentiate between the past and present – It was thought that by signifying the present and the past this would challenge the normal forms and conventions and give a better understanding of the trailer.

·        Make him walk slower through the graveyard in the initial scene – It was thought Rob was walking too fast for someone coming back from a funeral. With that in mind we aimed to slow him down, giving a more sluggish look.

·        Either take the scenes out that saw Rob on the bench, or cut it down. – It was thought that the scene of him on the bench by himself was too long for a trailer, so would either have to be cut down or removed.

·        Produce a montage of clips – Within our trailer we didn’t have a short montage of clips something that his seen in almost every trailer to help it flow. Furthermore we aimed to re-arrange the final clips of the trailer into a fast sequence to end.

After taking this all on board, we went off and tried to incorporate these aspects into what would be our final trailer. We did these over two weeks trying to allocate ourselves a good range of time to produce it. However after showing the trailer to a friend he made the point the song was ‘dull’ and after hearing his point of view we agreed. With this in mind, we listened to a range of songs using YouTube and came to the agreement of 'Justin Timberlake-Cry Me a River'. We thought this song worked well throughout and provided a stronger more enticing flow during the montage scene.

It's clear from the range of feedback given, that as a group and individuals we learnt a lot about the important of certain aspects when making an trailer. Furthermore it's imperative that these aspects provide a film trailer that entices the audience into watching and supports the storyline and plot of the actual film.

Like our trailer, audience feedback was key to both my ancillary texts. By asking people what they thought of my work allows me to make improvements and gain knowledge on what’s good.

The first ancillary texts I produced to gain feedback on was my poster. I presented this feedback via a blog post found here calling this my initial draft. Through comparing my initial poster with my finished one, it’s clear that a numerous changes have occurred all through the aid of feedback.

Staying with the presentation format of my trailer, I presented my initial draft to my peers and teacher and like the trailer; the feedback did hold both positive and improvements. I was made aware of how well the credits and text looked with a good font used, however the picture came under scrutiny the most. It was said that the picture was too bright and therefore the actor’s names were hard to see. With this in mind, it was suggested I gain a new picture that doesn’t over power the text like this, however it would come at a cost.

To have any idea how to approach what picture to take, I did some research and found 'Shutter Island' to be something I wanted to follow. With this in mind I based my poster around this, fading in two separate picture, one of the characters face and another signifying a location. I also decided to make the colour black/white something that combined with the effects used within the trailer.

After completing this, the feedback received was a lot more positive with the new one looking considerably different to the old.

Here signigies the difference between the initial and finished posters. (Click to enlarge)

What I learnt from this is how important it is for a poster to be easily read, with it being very imperative that nothing is interfering with the text. Another point learned is that the picture needs to relate to the trailer aiming for a combined effect between the two. If this isn't the case it could reflect nothing about the film, the main point of a poster.

To mix up the advertising I wanted to produce a cover with Daryl, the second most prominent character within the trailer. I wanted to challenge the normal forms and convention used for this and therefore went for a fresh character that the audience wouldn't of seen as much about.

About a week after this I produced my initial draft of my magazine cover. Like the poster I asked my peers and teacher to help me with some feedback for this. This feedback can be found here and alliterates mostly about the size of the text for certain aspects. What they thought was the masthead and magazine article could be a bit bigger and stretched in order to attain dominance on the page. This way the decoders could clearly understand the name of the magazine and the main article.

A second aspect they mentioned was that the magazine was tough to differentiate as a film magazine and therefore needed something to put this right. They mentioned perhaps a film reel with little images of the film on it, helping support the main magazine article. I like the idea and aimed to include this when make improvements.

After completing the second and final magazine cover I aimed to include these aspects and thanks to audience feedback finally produced the finished magazine cover.

Here shows a compariatve look betwen my initial and finished magazine covers. (Click to enlarge)

What I learnt from producing the magazine cover was the importance of bold text. With there being many magazines within the market, it's important that mine would be able to compete and therefore grab the eye of the potential buyers on the shelf. With that in mind, by providing good bold text with a  reasonable image my magazine could have a good chance of selling.

Summary of what I learn through the project

·        How important it is to appeal to target audience when producing a trailer.

·        How important the storyline and plot is within a trailer.

·        How important a poster must combine and relate to the trailer.

·        The image needs to reflect the characters within the trailer.

·        How important is it to reflect bold text and a strong image.

·        How important it is to distinguish the cover as a film magazine.

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

Throughout the entire process, technology has been a major factor in the production of both ancillary texts and the trailer. The use of technology allowed us as a group for the trailer and individually for the texts, to produce media products that can stands its own within the film market.

The initial piece of technology used was the website 'blogger' which I created in order me to store my work. After creating a piece of work for the project, I would upload it to the blog and label it within its specific section. The sections I made available within the blog were;

·        Ancillary Tasks - The Poster and Magazine Cover.

·        Audience Feedback - Information regarding feedback I received throughout both the ancillary texts and main task.

·        Evaluation - Where the four answered evaluation questions are.

·        Main Task - Where my final trailer will be.

·        Monthly Diary- Shows a paragraph explaining the progress I have made and what I have been doing over the month.

·        Planning - Where planning for both my ancillary texts and main task is.

·        Research - Where research carried out through the project is.

·       Target Audience - Where information regarding the target audience and any references regarding this will be.

By keeping my work on this blog allows me to see how my monthly progress is going, with it indicating the month as well as the amount of posts for each month.

Here shows the different labels avaliable within my blog. (Click to enlarge)

With this being a website application, my blog is open to the  public on the internet therefore allows people to access it and comments and leave feedback where possible. This tool was extremely beneficial within the early stages of planning as it allowed me to see whether or not some of the early clips shot were either acceptable for use or needed improvement.

Here shows the layout for public posting. (Click to enlarge)

Before I demonstrate how I used it, I must confirm how I went about when producing the work.

1.When creating any piece of work I did this via 'Microsoft Word', a Microsoft program that allows you to simply write down information onto a blank document. The reasons for this was this had spell-check, which could help me with small parts of punctuation and grammar if I needed it, something when writing straight into blogger didn't have, therefore creating a high probability of mistakes occurring.

The left indicates the layout of Microsoft Word, with the left deminstrating

the 'Blogger' layout. (Click to enlarge).

2. After producing a piece of work in 'Microsoft Word', I then copied my work and pasted into a new blog post.

Here shows the process of pasting work onto blogger. (Click to enlarge)

3. On the majority of posts I have placed pictures to help the blog look more exciting than just plain text. To add pictures this is done via blogger too, and involves me clicking the 'Insert Image' tab where I will then select a picture from a file and click 'Open'. It will then place the image on the potential post, able for me to move around into an appropriate position.

Here demonsrates the process for uploading picture. (Click to enlarge)

4. Once I have finished adding everything, I can click Publish where it will appear on my the front initial page of my blogger.

These two pieces of technology weren't designed for a specific section, but used throughout all stages of the project.

With regards to 'Planning', the main piece of technology used was again the internet but more specifically 'YouTube'. YouTube is an online website designed for uploading videos for the general public or personal use. Through YouTube I was able to focus on the planning of the trailer and gain research surrounding other films. Our main inspiration was 'Trainspotting'  and through researching 'Trainspotting' via this, gave us as group a chance to look at how well made this trailer was and study the forms and conventions used ready for the production of ours.

As well 'Research' I used YouTube for uploading videos too, giving myself the chance to place them on the blog.  Here shows the entire process used;

1. After creating a YouTube page via basic personal information, I was could then 'upload' a video of my choice. To start I would go to the top of the page and click 'Upload'.

2. This would bring me to an upload page, where I got the option to upload a single video, upload multiple videos or record using a webcam and upload that way. I would proceed by clicking 'Select single file from your computer'.

3.From here I would browse until I found my file and click 'Open'. From here the video will start to process and give me the chance to write a short description about it.

4. Once finished, click 'Add Video' and it will publish on the YouTube.

Here indicates the 4 steps mentioned abive. (Click to enlarge)



5. With me wanting to embed my YouTube videos onto my blog, I needed an embedding code. Through clicking on the video's name, the video will load via a different page. From here I would click 'Share' where the options of either sharing the link or embedding are made possible

Here demonstartes the process to locate the embedding code.(Click to enlarge)

6. By selecting embedding a code will come up which represents my video. I would copy this and proceed back to blogger.

7.Within blogger I would click 'new post, where it will bring me to a blank post. From here I would select 'HTML' which allows me to write code in, which is what the embedding code is. I will paste this in and finish by clicking publish.

Here show how to upload using the embed code.(Click to enlarge)

8. Like any other post this will paste onto the front page of my blog.

Here shows the final video placed on the blogger page. (Click to enlarge)

With me using YouTube at all stages of the project it wasn't used for one specific section ,however it did provide me with a lot of trailers to study as well as to upload videos onto the blog. With that in mind, it was a key piece of technology and something greatly valued.

The next piece of technology used was the video camera with regards to the construction of the main trailer. The camera used was a Canon-Legria FS36 which came with 41x optical zoom providing us with a good picture when zooming as well as an 8 hour battery time when fully charged.

Having this camera gave us the chance to put our planned trailer into effect and with its HD outcome gave a great finish.

Here is the camera used within the filming and construction process. (Click to enlarge)

To provide steadiness when filming, we used a camera stand which kept the camera still when recording and allowed us to all be in the shot without someone having to mind the camera. This in effect gave us an extra pair of hands and allowed us to finish our filming must quicker than anticipated.

Here is the stand used within the filming and construction process. (Click to enlarge)

After completing the footage, we had the chance to edit the overall trailer and put the clips into our desired sequence. The software used was 'Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum' a video making software that was complex but easy to use. It came with a number of effects and transitions that allowed me provide certain clips with a stronger and more effective look. Within the software it allowed me to match my effects and clips with the music providing a flow that is seen in all trailers.

The main effect and transitions used were 'colour correction' and 'black and white' both giving me a strong image when wanted. The black and white was used to signify the past therefore I needed this for a number of clips, with the 'colour correction' used to lighten the clips when outside

Here is a look at the editing timeline used for the trailer.(Click to enlarge)

As well as my trailer, my ancillary texts needed editing software and this came through 'Corel Draw x3'. Like 'Sony Vegas' Corel did have some complicated attributes however after much practice the software become easy to use. The best aspects about it was its HD look that stayed in placed even after zooming in. This allowed me to focus on minute detail and provide a poster and magazine cover that looks good. The range of texts and colours were most important during the production stages as its these which make up the poster and magazine cover. The font used was 'Trajon Pro' with the colours focusing around red and blue for cover and black and white for the poster.

In the end 'Corel draw' proved very effective and resulted in two good final ancillary texts.

A look at the corel software used for my poster and magazine cover. (Click to enlarge)

Within the evaluation stages, like talked previously, blogger was used to hold my work and again I followed the process talked about. However, within a lot of the questions answered I have provided website links on words, giving a firsthand chance to see what it is I'm talking about. This gives my evaluation for of a media look rather than just text on a page.

To produce this I would gain the link of the website and proceed by right clicking the word I want to provide a link for. From here a page would appear with a tab called ' Address' which I would then paste the link into and click Ok. Furthermore the word would turn blue indicating a link has been made.

 

Within the evaluation stages, like talked previously, blogger was used to hold my work and again I followed the process talked about. However, within a lot of the questions answered I have provided website links on words, giving a firsthand chance to see what it is I'm talking about. This gives my evaluation for of a media look rather than just text on a page.

To produce this I would gain the link of the website and proceed by right clicking the word I want to provide a link for. From here a page would appear with a tab called ' Address' which I would then paste the link into and click Ok. Furthermore the word would turn blue indicating a link has been made.

Here shows how hyperlinks re produced for words.(Click to enlarge)

To conclude its clear that throughout the entire process I have used  a number of pieces of technology, and in doing so produced work that I think fits the forms and conventions needed for success. Without these I would of struggled, and this indicates within the film industry how important a good range of technology is in order to produce a piece of media liable for achievement.

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

The main aim of the project was to complete a group trailer with a matching individual poster and magazine cover. From the outset it was clear that for each of these trying to indulge the target audience would be key to the success, with me producing a group trailer, poster and magazine cover that was easily decidable by the target audience and therefore understood within a set genre.

After gaining a plot/storyline for the trailer, we thought as a group it would be best to complete the trailer first in order for us to have more time and a stronger understanding when producing the ancillary tasks. The main aim for the trailer was to produce something that a target audience would want to go see holding specific genre characteristics and understanding.

The target audience we chose to tackle would be of a British audience aimed towards ages 18-25 with no specific gender target. The reasons for this was mainly down to the actors and storyline, as we wanted to create something that the audience in one way or another could relate to, whether it be actors of their culture, age or perhaps the aspects of the story.

Within our trailer two main characters were used throughout, the main character Rob and the drug dealer Daryl. With this in mind, it was expected that these two characters were to be used for advertising and marketing purposes which in this case are the ancillary texts.

Within the trailer the genre was 'Romantic/drama' and therefore I needed my ancillary texts to match this. For my poster I used Rob as this was the product related to the film the most, with the magazine cover reflecting Daryl played by Tyler Andrews. To form a relative combination between the film I tried to incorporate aspects from the trailer onto the poster and magazine cover. There were many aspects that I need to match between the trailer and these in order for the combination to be effective. These were;

·        Font

·        Actors

·        Characters

·        Clothing

·        Colour

·        Actors Name

By matching the font, it allows the decoders to make an effective combination between the ancillary texts and trailer providing an effective combination between the two. Therefore seeing this font constantly within the advertising, they can make. A film that has done this very well with is Harry Potter which font and title is used throughout all aspects of the media, whether it be the trailer, poster or title sequence.

Here demonstartes the same font used throughout (Click to enlarge)

Like talked about previously I decided to use 2 characters for the advertising and marketing of the main task and ancillary texts. Furthermore I decided to use different characters in each ancillary text as I felt this would bolster the advertisement campaign, with the audience seeing information surrounding Daryl as well as Rob.  With this challenging the normal form and convention for advertising and marketing, it was important both characters met the genre and appealed to the target audience like they did within the trailer. If this wasn't the case the ancillary texts would be useless and would completely bare no relation to the trailer.

Here shows the two different characters (Actors) used within the ancillery texts.

(Click to enlarge)

Staying on the topic of characters, another aspect used for this combination between the main task and ancillary texts was the clothing. A felt when making our trailer, the clothing used throughout was quite specific and therefore became a common attribute throughout. With that in mind, in order for the decoder to combine the ancillary text and trailer together, I used the characters same clothes within the poster and magazine cover. Within the trailer, Rob is seen a number of times wearing a grey jumper and jeans, with Daryl in a long trench coat. Furthermore, I made sure when taking my shots for the ancillary texts that they were both wearing these.

Here shows the clothing used for Rob. (Click to enlarge)

Here shows the clothing used for Daryl. (Click to enlarge)

The next aspect that needed to compensate well together was the colour. Colour is a massive way people can be draw into something and none more so than with film advertisement. Concentrating mainly on the trailer and poster, I needed to find a set of colours that were used regularly within the trailer and therefore could be used for the poster. When making the trailer we used black/white to demonstrate the 'past', giving the audience an idea of how Rob was before Alice died. With that in mind, I decided to make my poster black and white with the cheeky smile in the image reflecting how he was before she died. Along with this I used the red writing to show the quotation of the film, using three colours that I felt complemented each other well. I believed with this being a vital form and convention to the trailer, the poster could benefit from this too, providing two overall products that combine and reflect well using the characters and storyline.

Here shows the images of the film ion black and white, with below showing the

 black/white effect used for the poster. (Click each to enlarge).

Regarding the magazine covers colour, I aimed down a different route and wanted to provide an eye-catchy product that stands out in the shelves. With the magazine not being part of the films main advertisement, I felt the magazine wouldn't reflect solely on the film and more of a normal film magazine. Taking this further I wanted to use bold colours and therefore used blue, red and black to produce a film cover that would benefit the magazine. Furthermore, I felt this provided an effective combination for the products as it allowed a more realistic view of a magazine cover and how it would look on a magazine cover.

Using forms and conventions as a platform,  I feel the process throughout the production of these tasks has gone very well and I have in-turn, created three products that can relate to the same film  trailer. With this in mind I feel the aspects I used create a combination between all three, which gives a good idea of the genre and target audience of the film, with me therefore feeling that the combination is effective between them.

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

When creating any media outlet, addressing the forms and conventions is a very important aspect to the success of it. The encoder of the media must aim to form something that the decoder therefore will enjoy and want to either read or watch again and again. Looking at these forms and conventions is something I and two other had to address when creating a film trailer and me solely when producing a magazine cover and poster. However rather than keep to the exact forms and conventions we chose to use, develop and challenges these forms to create something unique to the film market.

Before these forms and conventions can be addressed, providing an idea and a genre was the most important aspect and something that needed to be created in order for the encoders to understand and want to watch. After producing an idea it was clear this are trailer would be a 'Romantic/Drama' and in order for us to create this we would need to use, develop and challenge these forms and conventions.

Before I go on, here are some forms and conventions available; 

·        Captions

·        Music

·        Narration

·        Shots of key cast

·        Montage (Fast Paced Editing)

·        Non-Linear

·        Stars (Actors)

·        Music

·        Title

·        Voice-Over

Within this list, we aimed to look at each and try and incorporate these where we thought necessary and whether or not we could change  and develop them. Firstly I will talk about the trailer.

The first forms and convention used to support the genre of the film was a 'voice over'. In the initial stages it showed the main character (Rob) walking down a graveyard walk way wearing a suit with a glum look on his face. To support this we decided to use a voice over which read out a note to 'Alice', his long-term girlfriend who has died (reason for being in a graveyard), explaining that this is the end between them. The voice over supports and signifies a dark dramatic mood of death as well as romantic traces of love. Our inspiration for the film came from 'Trainspotting', a trailer which used a voice over at the beginning but for different reasons.

This shows the shot used when the voice over was happening.

(Click to enlarge)

Furthermore, using this quote and scene at the beginning adds to the convention of a 'Non-Linear' trailer because Alice does appear within the trailer later, even though she is signified to have died at the beginning.

Moving on, the next scene shows both Alice and Rob sitting on a bench, but with the image as 'Black and White'. Though we wanted to go for a non-linear pattern, we did want the encoder to understand the basic plot of the film but at the same time not giving too much away. With that in mind we wanted to signify the past in Black and White with the scenes involving Alice, and the present in colour. This can allow the audience to see Rob in a positive state before she dies and get a feel for the film and his emotions.

Here shows the black and white scenes used, all of which involve alice in one way or another.
(Click to enlarge)

 

 

'Captions' was something that was used throughout the trailer and in two different ways. One way is feedback and within a lot of trailers reviews are shown indicating a short paragraph and rating of the film, giving the audience an idea of how it is seen to the media and whether or not it is worth seeing. With that in mind, we aimed only to do this once with a short Daily Mail review 30 seconds in to the trailer, stopping any bombardment of information away from the story.

Captioned Review within the trailer.
(Click to enlarge)

The next was through the use of rhetorical questioning, with little snippets of information  that ask the audience and test them for solutions. This helps make the audience think and develops the use of just normal captions and allows them to be much more involved and hopefully result in going to see the film. The caption below shows this with the notion of 'What happened?' and 'Why it ended so bad?'. This will hopefully give the audience a sense of intrigue and therefore attract them to the film.

Here shows an example of the captions used within the trailer.

(The white gap in between demonstartes the on screen change. )

(Click to enlarge)

Staying with the captions the main 'Actors' of the film needed to be shown, however rather than just having a black screen with the actors names, we decided to develop this and provide fade shot of this slowly, with the picture fading away whilst the actors name faded in. Keeping this in mind, we decided to only hold one actors name in the trailer challenging mainly trailers that hold information about a number of actors. The idea behind this was to focus on one sole character and provide a trailer around him rather than anyone else. By following him see's the romantic and dramatic side of him helping support the genre and give the audience something to understand.

Here shows the images fading effect used for the actors name.(Click to enlarge)

Within the majority of trailers, a montage of small clips are present towards the end of it to demonstrate the different stages within the film. On top of this is either music or a voice over, allowing the clips to flow and provide an enticing ending. Like mentioned this is something seen within the majority of media products, and in order for ours to look similar to these, we had to incorporate one. Choosing the clips for this was tough and like our film inspiration 'Trainspotting', we chose a few random clips giving no unnecessary indications away.  To help these clips flow, we incorporated a voice over argument between Rob and Daryl (drug dealer), that added tension and drama to the clips.

On top of choosing the clips, focussing on the encoder was important too as we needed to provide a montage that enticed and both reflected the genre of the film. Through the use of the clips we added a glum outlook that added to the drama as well as a strong passion and romantic sense when the voice over argument is taking place, hopefully resulting in the genre being noted by the audience.

Here are these clips used for the montage. (Click to enlarge)

 

The final forms and convention used within the trailer was 'Music' and something that gave us many problems throughout the entire process. When planning our trailer we decided on one song and this was 'Gary Jules - Mad World', a song which we thought would fit well with the mood of the song. This was used for our First Draft and our Second, however upon feedback we had a re-evaluation that it didn't provide the trailer with a good enough tempo and was almost too dreary.  Taking this into account we found a new song that we agreed fitted better and provided a better tempo, but at the same time gave a romantic and dramatic feel through the tune and beat. This was 'Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River'.

The other aspect we had to tackle was how to incorporate the song and how we would use it. Main trailers use their song to cast over clips, with the song being faded out for talking scenes, however we didn't want to split the song up as we agreed the trailer doesn't have enough talking scenes to allow for breaks in the music. with that in mind, we decided to play the song throughout as it worked well with the clips and especially with the montage at the end.

As well as the trailer, I personally had to produce a magazine cover and poster both in relation to the trailer. Like the trailer I had to know a good understanding of forms and conventions of these both, therefore having to research and gain a good knowledge of both magazine covers and posters.

Through carrying out appropriate research allowed me to know what is needed within a magazine to be successful and how I can incorporate these within mine to appeal to the overall genre.

Focussing more on the magazine cover, here are some of the forms and conventions I included within the vCity magazine cover;

·        Masthead

·        Plug line

·        Snippets / Features

·        Issue Date

·        Price

·        Barcode

·        Colour

·        Website

·        Images

Within any magazine covers, images are something very important and none more so than for mine. For any magazine the image is the first thing the eyes are drawn too,  therefore having an eye catching image is something that needed to be looked at very closely in order for it to look like a real media product.

Within the trailer there is seen to be one initial main character (Rob) and its clear that he will be pursued for the entire trailer. However with the storyline another character is seen prominently and this is the drug dealer Daryl, who is involved with Rob's addiction throughout. With this in mind, he can be seen as a main character and I therefore decided to use him for the magazine cover. Main magazines covers hold the main character but with Daryl being slowly unearthed as a main character, I thought this would spread the advertising and marketing of the trailer and allow the audience to see someone else other than Rob. My inspiration for this came from Harry Potter where both Ron and Hermione are seen on many magazine covers and posters, even though there are not the initial main character.

Picture used for magazine cover.(Click to enlarge)

Moving away from the main photo image, there is one more image I incorporated within the cover. For any magazine to be successful it needs to be easily recognised within its field, and some of the initial feedback I possessed from my 1st draft explained that a film image could be added to easily  understand it as a film magazine. With that in mind, I produced a timeline and developed someone thing that gives the trailer more publicity on the magazine with small clips being available on it. Having this easily recognises this as a film magazine and allows the encoder to know exactly what they would be getting for their money.

This is the film reel used at the bottom of the cover. (Click to enlarge)

In conjunction with the image, the layout within the magazine is also important. Displaying pieces like exclusive reports and features is imperative when advertising the magazine, as it’s this which makes it feel like a ‘real media product’. From here, it’s up to me as the encoder to make vCity develop these elements, and therefore challenge other magazines for consumer approval. This was done through offering features and reports of other films and actors.

As well as exclusive reports and features, smaller aspects of forms and conventions were needed to allow my magazine cover to look real. The top of the magazine shows the which edition it is and how much it would be, allowing the encoder to know exactly when it would be released and for how much.

Here are the features avalible within the magazine.

(Click to englarge)

The next form and convention used was involving the website link and where I should place it. After much research I found many magazines like 'FILM' where they  place there's under the masthead, so I decided to take this on board and follow them. I did the same for the magazines full name with them now both being designed to fit under the masthead.

Above indictaes where abouts I placed the website link and the full name of the magazine.

(Click to enlarge)

The final form and convention for the magazine I will talk about is the masthead. After looking into FILM and EMPIRE magazines, it's clear that both of these wanted to have a bold masthead that covered the upper part of the page. After testing this with my image I found it didn't work very well with the masthead text overpowering the image on a too greater scale. With that in mind, I decided to challenge this form and convention and produce a smaller masthead that fits better with the main image. Furthermore the masthead is still bold but at the same time at a size that doesn't overpower my main image.

Above shows the comparions between EMPIRE's and mine.

(Click to enlarge)

With my trailer and magazine cover completed, all that was left was the production of a film poster. Like the previous two is was up to me to understand the forms and conventions and create a list that I needed to include, develop or challenge. These were;

·        Strong Title

·        Persuasive Writing - E.g.-Reviews.

·        Eye catching image

·        Release Date

·        Actors

·        Production Company Text

·        Film quotation

When starting any poster, trying to create a strong image is something very important and an aspect that can make or break it. The aim for any image is to be eye catching and with a good range of detail to attract people in to look and admire. With that in mind I carried out some research and found many just focus on the characters and nothing more. Eventually I came across 'Shutter Island' and I was intrigued to see a location as well as a character based clearly on the it.

With this clearly challenging the usual forms and conventions for a poster image, I too wanted to follow this and therefore produced an image that had faded a characters head into a location. I feel by providing the encoder with more to look at, this would entice them more into seeing the film.

After finding two images that worked, I needed to provide my poster with a 'gloomy' outlook that the dramatic genre entailed and therefore decided to enforce this into black and white. I have used the black and white contrast within the trailer, so decided that this would benefit and provide a strong connection between the two.

Here are the comparions between Shutter Island and mine.

(Click to enlarge)

 

Along with an eye catching image, a strong masthead title is needed to really enhance the poster. Like the image, the masthead is something that is easily seen and therefore needs to be attractive and well established. Within that in mind I decided to increase the size of the masthead, something that is always seen with a film poster, allowing the audience to know what the tile of the film is.

With regards to the location, I have gone for a different approach and unlike most film posters, have challenged the normal form and conventions of having it within the middle of the page, and have decided to locate it in the bottom right hand corner of the page with the rest of the information. This I think gives more space for the images and gives a less cramped look.

Here is the design of the title. (Click to enlarge)

 

The next form and convention used is the use of the actors name and the placement on the poster. Like 'Shutter Island' I decided to develop the usual forms and conventions and have placed the  actors name above the masthead in the corner. Though Shutter Island keep the information within the middle of the page, I do however like the symmetrical pattern so have used this to have each actors name above either side of the masthead to give a balanced feel.

 

Shot of the actors name above the masthead. (Click to enlarge)

Like mentioned, in every poster a release date has to be present in order for the audience to know exactly when they can see the film. For many convention poster, this is kept towards the bottom of the page by the production credits ready for the decoder to see as they scroll down the page. With me already having information towards the bottom of the page, I decided to use this form and convention and place the release date directly below the masthead but above the production credits. This way the date can be seen easily for the encoders to understand.

Release date located under the masthead. (Click to enlarge)

Within every real media poster, production credits are always available highlighting who has worked on the film. With me aiming to make my poster hold attributes of a poster, I therefore integrated these at the bottom of the page. To make sure my credits matched with real media poster, I researched the fonts used and found it to be 'Steel Tongs'. With this in mind, I downloaded this font and formed a set of credits that matches the look for a number of posters.

Production Credits located at the bottom of the poster. (Click to enlarge).

 

Like any trailer, reviews are essential to the advertising and marketing process, as its these which give people the confidence to spend their money on seeing the film. With this in mind, I felt this form and convention needed to be included within my poster as it will show the decoder the reviewed success of the film. However from my research it was clear that the majority of posters don't use reviews on the posters, therefore I have developed and challenged this convention and given my poster two reviews based at the top of the page.

Reviews located at the top of the poster. (Click to enlarge)

The final form and convention used is the quotation for the poster. On the majority of film posters, a quotation is used to entice the audience into an insight about the nature of the film. Carrying on with  'Shutter Island', the quote for this is 'Someone is missing' and therefore makes the decoder think who is this person missing  and perhaps why. This acts an enticing tool and encourages them to go see it.

With regards to my poster, I wanted to stick to this form and convention and use a quotation also. When thinking of a quotation, I had to take into affect the genre and whether or not I can produce something that reflects the basis of the film. After seeing that I managed to distinguish the drama side of the film with the black and white imaging, I thought focussing on a romantic love side would allow the overall poster to meet the required genre.

After reviewing the plot, I needed to reflect Rob and his pain of missing Alice and something that allowed the decoder to understand his love for Alice. As the plot entails, it talks about how through drug taking he meets Alice in his dreams in a happy place. Though this isn't seen in detail within the trailer, I feel by placing this in the poster adds a different side and something that the potential audience will be interested in seeing.

After much deliberation I came up with 'Can love really over power reality?' but after feedback suggested that this was too wordy for a poster, I cut out the word 'really' and left it as 'Can love over power reality?. The meaning behind this signifies the fact that can his love for her change the fact reality has in fact taken her from him, suggesting that he can perhaps see her in a way not possible, linking back to the plot.

Here is the final quote used within the poster. (Click to enlarge).

After reviewing all three products, it's clear as I've gone though I've tried to put as much thought and deliberation into the process aiming to provide three media products of a good standard. By looking at the forms and conventions for each product, it allowed me to enable research into the film market and find aspects that I could use, develop and challenge. By using all these aspects, I was able to produce three unique products that could hopefully challenge within the film market and hold their own as respectable real media products.