Conclusion

Overall, I think I have achieved a successful and efficient product from my trailer to my print work and think it would appeal and satisfy my audience. My research and planning has gave delivered and inspired ideas towards my film and feedback has helped me improve my products so that it reaches my target audiences expectations.

If I were to do this again, I would definitely organise and manage my time more so that I stay on track throughout the full process of planning, designing and creating my product and therefore have more time to carefully plan out exactly what I am going to do.

I have enjoyed this experience and have learned, developed and improved on the practical side, such as learning to edit a film and becoming more confident on Adobe Photoshop.

Evaluation Question 4

Please CLICK HERE to view question 4 of my evaluation which will be presented on Prezi

Evaluation Question 3

Audience Feedback

For my audience feedback I used various methods to gain comments about both my print work and video work.

For my video feedback I conducted a focus group via Facebook and asked everyone to view my trailer which I linked and asked them to give me feedback by answering these questions - 

What genre do you think my products are?
What makes you think this?
How have I met your expectations of this genre?
Have I used archetypal characters successfully?
How do you feel when you watch the trailer?

I think this audience is relevant to my product as they are in the age range of what my film is aimed at and are also big fans of going to the cinema and watching films. I've also asked a mixture of males and females in my focus groups to make my feedback more reliable as I am aiming at a mixed sex gender group as the horror genre can apply to any gender.

Looking back at my audience feedback it has gave me the reassurance that I have fit the requirement made to achieve a horror film, although maybe if I were to start again I would add a bit more 'supernatural' elements, to give it that paranormal feel to it. My audience understood it was a horror film but there was a couple that responded saying a thriller as well which I found intriguing as I was mainly just aiming for horror but this has gave me confidence as to expand my audience if this were to be the case.

Going more in depth with cinematography many of my feedback mentioned the black and white editing that I used in various shots throughout my trailer which was in reply to why they thought my film genre was horror. This shows how I have successfully used this editing to achieve my films genre and the dark tones show the dark grim element which are needed to achieve a horror genre. A with my soundtrack, practically all my feedback mentioned how the music set the tone of my film as it was "creepy" and "sinister", these words fit perfectly in the semantic field of 'horror' which shows another example of how I have achieved the genre.

I also sent an A4 image of my movie poster and magazine around my college in order to gain feedback from my peers as well as the additional feedback from my lecturers.

After receiving the feedback for my print tasks, it allowed me to make amendments to both my magazine cover and poster in order to appeal to my audience and make my print work appear more professional looking within its field.

For my poster, said that my image worked really well as even though it was simple, it was really effective and achieved the horror theme. The only critical response that i got was to take the editing out of the movie title, which I used the 'blur' effect on. They thought that it took away the simpleness which I was trying to aim for in my poster and was distracting them from the main image. Therefore I changed the text and removed the effect in which I agreed looked much better and more professional.

For my magazine they said overall that it was good and liked the layout of my cover, especially how I have set out my main headline. However, for my critical feedback which I was given even though it was on small features in my magazine it is essential parts that build up to overall make my magazine cover look appealing and convincing to my audience. Changes included to make my highlighted shape and essential information smaller as it was taking up too much room and distracting them from more important features on my magazine. Also, many replied saying that I should move the text from my main headline so that it isn't touching my models face. I thought this feedback was extremely useful and has helped me loads through the development of my magazine.

The overall reaction that my audience got was exactly what I was aiming for, mostly them all being curious to know what happens in the film. This would also relate to my movie poster as  never put much detail into it which intrigued my audience into wanting to see the film for themselves to find out what happens.

Towards the end where I was happy with both print tasks I asked for the final time what my audience thought of the overall products. I had so much more positive feedback which made me feel confident with my print tasks and satisfied.

Evaluation Question 2

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

I think that my main product and ancillary texts are effective because it leaves you feeling curious about wanting to watch the film without revealing too much about the film. It gives you the basic insight of what the situation in and invites you to go and watch the film to find out what what has happened, hence the tagline "discover the truth". 

For example, both my poster and magazine cover feature the girl who is in a similar pose looking straight at the audience with a sort of glare expression.

 

Same applies to my trailer when the girl features in that several times.

This could form a curious response from the audience as the girl shows of no feelings are emotions. She just looks like she is concentrating on one thing in particular which makes my film looks effective as my audience would want to go and see my film to find out why. Keeping the girl in the same pose and same expression makes it more recognisable to the audience so they will be able to identify my movie.

The way in which I introduce the characters is done to show the curiosity, which is the main response you would get after watching my trailer or looking at my ancillary texts. Showing the boy looking at the missing poster invites the audience to join in with the investigation of how the girl went missing. The way in which the girl is introduced is by the actual missing poster but it is in contrast to what the print work portrays her as. In the missing poster it shows her smiling where as in the poster and magazine she is staring straight at you showing no expression. This could suggest to the audience that she was once a sweet, happy girl. This therefore opens opportunities to the audience to think for themselves what the girl was like in the past and what has happened to her since. Who is responsible?

Also my colour scheme has played a crucial part for each of my ancillary tasks and my main product as I have maintained a use of dark bleak colours to maintain that horror edge. It is important to maintain and make sure that features like this remain the same throughout to keep to overall effect of my audiences reaction to my movie. 

In my production of my ancillary texts I have made sure to keep them both related to my main product as it is important for each product to relate one way or another as it creates a marketing package and my audience will be able to recognise it as a brand new movie that is being released

Evaluation Question 1

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


For part of my evaluation a have done a prezi
CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT

As I myself enjoy watching horror films, I have used this to create my own ideas (with the help of other films) to design and create my own horror.

One of my conventions I have used is in the first frame that is shown at the very start of my trailer which is the production company in which my movie it produced by. I think that it makes my film look professional leaving a first good impression on the viewer who is watching it. Also the style of font I've used for "ARTIC PICTURES" is quite old fashioned which can apply that this production company is quite classical and has been running for a quite a long time, making it a reliable production company. 

Also the 'type writer' style text I've used in my movie title fits in well with what my film is about, it reminds me of text that you would see when looking at computer data, and I think that works well with the technology approach I am making towards my film as it involves video recordings on a mobile phone. Also I have used the 'play' button symbol to replace the letter 'A' as i think it looks makes the title seem more creative and clever and also refers back to what my movie is actually about.

Using shots from behind creates a sense of someone being watched. This is what I have used in one of the frames in my trailer. It is also the first time this character (cover model for poster and magazine cover) is being introduced. I think it creates a sense of mystery as the audience may not know that just yet and would be intrigued to know who she is and if she actually is being followed or watched by someone. As it is quite a wide shot, you are able to see more of her whereabouts, which is in a forest which is a common area of where a horror could be shot at. The light coming from amongst the trees creates a bright glowing effect which could signify a paranormal feel to the shot. It could also represent the open space around her, showing that the place is completely isolated from the world and no one knows where she is.

I've used POV shots to position the audience in the characters view making them feel involved in the movie as they are finding out with the character together whats happening. Using it to show the mobile phone which has just been mysteriously posted through the door, we get a clear view of what it is and can be easily recognised by the audience as with them being a young audience, will have mobile phones just like it therefore can relates more to the situation as they know the main features of a mobile phone such as photographs, text messaging and of course video clips. 

I've also included extreme close up shots on several frames, one of them being of the missing poster which is one of the many props used in the trailer. I've created the effect of the camera zooming more into the image through a series of cuts until its main focus is of the girls eyes. I loved this effect as I thought the closer you got to the girls face, the more it has an effect of how you feel about her. Many people may feel uncomfortable about how close she is, some might be pulled in and make a connection with the character and also be intrigued to know what has happened to her. It also creates an illusion that the girl is specifically looking at you, making the audience feel targeted by her which may leave them feel intimidated by her stare. This is exactly what I want them to think when watching the trailer as it pulls them in to the story, maybe even making them feel that it is their fault, but it could also leave a creepy image in their head even after they have watched the trailer as the girls stare can be very daunting and unforgettable.

With the use of black and white editing it makes it look like all the life has been sucked out of the frame. I have also only used it on shots that are in the woods as I feel it can resemble a flashback of an event that has happened. I was influenced by film 'American History X' where the past is played in black and white which represents the age of the event which could also signify another reason why I used this effect. I also think the B+W editing can show the darkness of the shots I have taken. In one of the frames I have taken a low angle shot in black and white which enhances the darkness of the girls face and her surroundings. The only bit of light you can see is the spaces in between the tree branches. I think this creates a trapped effect as the tree branches could represent bars in which the girls is trapped behind and there is no way to get out.

Another shot I have used is a high angle shot which allows my audience to look over at what the character is looking at. Here we him comparing the image on the missing poster to the image which is found on the phone which indicates that this may be the missing girls phone. It could bring a sense of hope to know that they may still be a chance of her being found as they could trace her from the evidence on the phone, but it could also suggest that this is her remains of whats left.

As we see a video recording of the girl I have used a handheld camera effect as it makes it looks more realistic and the that the video is being taken by the girl in the frame. Her make up shows her worn out face and that she is exhausted about what has happened and she looks anxious about what is going to happen next. With the use of make-up i have made her lips looks really dry and chapped as it creates a very grim and lifeless approach towards the girl. 

UPDATE ON FINAL MOVIE POSTER

Due to the feedback given from my lecturer as well as my peers, I have came to the decision to remove the 'blur' effect from my text. This is because it makes my poster look too busy as I have enough effect used on the main image. By doing this I have maintained the simple approach to the movie poster as I like that I am not giving too much away.and keeping my poster simple, yet effective. Hopefully this will achieve my purpose and fulfil my target audiences needs.

My final horror trailer

Here is the official trailer for my horror film PLAY

I have put my trailer on YouTube so that it is easily accessed 

Character profiles

Name: Devon Perry

Age: 17

Interests: Music, socialising, dancing

Relationship: Best friends with Jamie Lowes

Description: Blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin

Height: 5"2

Devon is the girl that went missing while walking round to her friend, Jamie's house. She is seen in the trailer wandering the woods looking for answers about who is to blame for her disappearance  During the course of going missing, Devon has become even paler than her normal skin tone, began to form dark circles around her eyes an is seen with blood stained teeth towards the end of the trailer.
Is their someone up to something that has caused Devon to become like this?

Name: Jamie Lowes

Age: 18

Interests: Music, computers

Relationship: Best friends with Devon Perry

Description: Brown hair, green eyes, very slim

Height: 6"

Jamie is Devon's best friend, who has never gave up from day 1 on Devon's disappearance. One night in his room while trying to figure out what really happened on the day it happened, Jamie hears a load bang from downstairs. Curious to find out what it was, he goes downstairs to discover an envelope posted to his house. Opening the envelope, he discovers that it is Devon's phone as her picture from the missing poster flashes up on the background of the phone. 
Will this direct Jamie into finally finding out the truth about what really happened to his best friend?

Costumes

Girls Clothing                                                                                 Boys Clothing

As you can see I have kept to a very casual set of clothes as it is only teens that are starring in my film. For their age, I have used clothes such as skinny jeans and trainers to represent them as your everyday teenager and also achieve realism with my film. The choice of clothes can also relate so most of my audience as with them being at a young age they would wear clothes like this as they are stylish and afforable. 

What I need to do

Photoshop editing

As I selected the image I wanted for my movie poster I opened it up on Adobe Photoshop as I plan on editing the facial features on my model.

 For this I will change the brightness, contrast, exposure, offset and gamma correction. 

I think the editing of this enhances the darkness of my models eyes which gives an evil look and intrigue my audience to whether she is the victim or the enemy.

For the other part of my image I opened up the other picture up in photoshop but I never did any editing as such yet


However by selecting the Polygonal Lasso Tool and changing it to 42px, I cut around the part where I wanted the girls face to go. By doing this I went around the edge of the phone's screen carefully. Once i was done I deleted that section i didn't need and opened my other file on photoshop of the girls face next to the one with the phone it. I then dragged the image of the girls face onto the section I had edited.

This is what I ended up with. I later messed around with the editing for a while to see what would work well the most.

Make-up tutorial

What I used:
Make-up foundation (light colour)
Bright red lipstick
Very thin lip brush
Vaseline
Black eye shadow
Eye shadow brushes

What I did
Step 1 - I started by using the foundation covering the whole of my models face which included on her lips as well to make them pale.

Step 2 - Using an eye shadow brush, I used black eye-shadow to cover the eye lid and under the eyes

Step 3 - Taking the lip brush, I dipped it into the tub a Vaseline and started painting over the eye-shadowed area, smudging it downwards so it looked like the model has been crying

Step 4 - As the lips are pale of the foundation, I again take my lip brush and brush it on the tip of bright red lipstick. I began filling in some of the lines on my models lips, which created an extreme chapped lips effect.

STORYBOARD

Choosing the sound for my trailer

When I was searching for a soundtrack to play in the background of my trailer I found this really creepy doll box movie which I thought would be perfect. As I found it on YouTube, I emailed the owner of the song in order to ask for their permission to use.

For several sound effect that I have added to my trailer, I went on the website http://soundbible.com/tags-horror.html 
This is where I could easily download the sound effects I wanted and add them later on when editing my trailer.

Planning for my trailer

First things first, I have story boarded what I have planned to happen in my trailer in which I will scan on to the computer and upload to my blog. A story board is not only essential, but it gives a more easier structure to my trailer which will help me decide on what shots to use when filming and what I need to do for my editing.

With parts of my trailer being filmed in the woods, I have decided to film this part in daylight. Although it isn't really common to have daylight in horrors, the woods is quite a closed area with trees blocking the sunlight and creating different lighting. Also with the woods setting being filmed in black and white, it will erase some of the lighter and friendly tones and be replaced with cold and uncomfortable grey scale effects. I also want the black and white editing to signify that it is in the past. This idea was influenced by Tony Kaye's fim, American History X where scenes that Derek is retelling, are in black and white. It also invites the audience to put themselves in the characters position as he is also discovering and watching the video recordings for the first time as well.

Setting and location

The bedroom

Posters covering the walls which shows an artistic side to the character and knows what he wants by covering the intended wall paper of his room to something that represents him more. Typical aspects of a teenage boys room. Poster are of favourite music bands and who they look up to which also identifies to the audience what their interests are and could also relate to them as well. Also a messy shelf full of DVD's, game boxes and books. Very common as messiness and game boxes can especially relate to a teenage boy.

The bed is extremely messy which represents the character, Jamie as a non-organised person and lazy in some ways which can relate to an average teenage boy. Sweet wrappers and brush are laid on the bed and not put away which again shows laziness. The bed sheets are black which is quite a masculine colour and gives a more realistic and effective approach to achieve a masculine, everyday teenage room.

UPDATE ON MAGAZINE COVER

After feedback from my lecturer and peers I have changed various parts of my magazine cover. First of all which was quite popular amongst the feedback was that none of my sub-headings related to my "HORROR SPECIAL" magazine. Therefore I have changed all of my sub-headings to something more convenient. Also I have made my highlight shape a bit smaller as it did not need to be as big as it was before and was taking up quite a bit of space of my cover. Also, people were making comments on the main headline by saying it would work better if it wasn't covering my models face. I then moved the whole headline to the left a little so that it wasn't on my images face. By taking these comments on board, it has helped me make my magazine look more professional and appealing to my audience.

FEEDBACK

Here is the feedback I received for my movie poster and magazine cover. Most of my peers seemed happy with what I have produced but there are still some slight changes that I will need to do to get full satisfaction. I will update on my changes to my print tasks.

First draught magazine cover.

After spending my weekend working on my magazine and keeping to my flat plan ideas, I have finished my first draught.

Planning for my movie magazine

Using the remains of the photos I had already taken mainly for my movie poster, I went through them to see if there was a suitable one that I could possibly use for my magazine. I needed a full head shot of my models face in order to use on my front cover so I could then edit it and make it look appropriate for my horror genre.

While flicking through the rest of my images, I came across this one which would be ideal for my magazine cover as it is a full head shit of my model and the pose she is pulling looks very intimidating. But in order to achieve my overall purpose of my movie being a horror, I will edit the photo so that I can make it look very disturbing and effective. In order to do this, I will use adobe photoshop, which I have used a lot and feel confident to use the tools which will help me with my wants and needs. 

First attempt.

After playing about on photoshop and trying out the different effects I finished with this. I like how the background is extremely darking, leaving her face and hair in focus. I will use this for now to start off my magazine but will also still see what else I can use in order to make my magazine look professional and suitable for my genre.

Movie poster including tagline

In this poster I have have included my potential tagline for my film "discover the truth" to see if it would make a difference. I didn't quite think it looked as effective and it looks like there is too much on my poster. I like the idea of not having it on as it leaves the audience hanging and makes them guess what happens in the film. 

Although, I am considering adding my tagline in my trailer to add and support more of an effect on the storyline of my movie. Although if I were to consider it, I may experiment the possible areas of my poster in which I can put it as I think that my poster does look a bit crowded from my text all being placed together.

The 'BLUR' Effect

For my movie poster, I decided to go for a ghostly blur effect on my courier font as it gives it a more paranormal effect. To create this effect, I used a tutorial on the internet which gave me a step by step instruction to make it:
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photoshop-text/text-effects/ghostly-blur/ 

I think that it turned out really well and it goes with the whole theme of my horror film.

Final design of movie poster

This is my final design of my movie poster. What I like most about it is that I have limited myself to what I put on it. With only the main image, title, release date and the billing block I think that my movie poster is effective and can achieve being noticed by my target audience. 

While editing the main image I decided to go for a purple tone as I think it makes it look cold and bleached, which relates to semiotics and could make my audience suggest that the person is either dead and coming back to haunt or on the verge to. What I love about the main image is that the editing on my models face highlights all the grim parts like the darkness under her eyes and the redness on her skin. This could make audiences feel uncomfortable looking at her but curious to know what has happened to her.

The look that you see my model doing in the reflection of my image looks threatening which could be asking the audience "do you dare watch this film?" which can be the starter of the adrenaline rush that my main audience get when going to watch a horror.

Deciding on my main image

As previously said before, I planned to plave my models face inside the phone screen to create a reflection effect. As doing that, I started to play around with the different effects available on photoshop. I was left with these three images to choose from and couldn't decide, therefore I began showing people who I have chosen for my target audience the three images and asked for their opinion. It then helped me decide to use the top image for my movie poster. I like how it just shows an extreme close up of my models face, seeing more focus of their eyes and making the appear more threatening. The editing also enhances the darkness around the models eyes making her look dark and strange looking. The way she is staring makes the audience assume that she is warning them from danger, or in this case from this movie but it can also appear as if she is daring the audience to watch the film.