The Evaluation

Transcript

Introduction

During AS, I learnt how to further analyse the different aspects of media texts, this included mise en scene, editing, cinematography and sound. AS taught me the basics of creating media products as I had to plan and create a movie opening but it also provided me with basic knowledge of film theory. In A2, my knowledge and media skills were developed significantly. For instance, I developed on my theoretical understanding, this includes theory titles such as Hegemony and cultivation theory’s and theorists such as David Gauntlet, Laura Mulvey and Levi Strauss, as well as analysis and media language. Ive also learnt about audiences and how they can be engaged and targeted as well as how representation is constructed. In A2, I have developed and gained knowledge of the media industry across film, print and television in developing my own cross media promotional package.

With regards to practical production, A2 allowed me to develop production skills. For instance, during A2, I created a teaser trailer where I contributed towards all three production stages. The difference between AS and A2 was significant as I was given the ability to learn new skills and develop my knowledge of film and filmmaking. For instance, during AS, the pre-production process was crude and required less planning and research. In A2, this stage of production was more in depth and included extensive planning and research which developed my analytical skills but a better and longer pre-production process would serve the purpose of enabling me to construct and make the right decisions for the main production. Therefore, more planning and research gave me extra knowledge and better informed me as to what I should decide to do for my A2 production.

During AS, the production process included basic filming techniques as our project was set and located mainly outside, therefore we didn’t have to use lighting or other equipment for our film as the storyline was also simple. However, in A2, I produced a horror teaser trailer, I had to consider the right atmosphere which included filming in dark environments with the use of dim lighting which was more difficult and really tested, but ultimately developed my cinematography skills as I had to be decisive about which shots were most suitable for a horror genre trailer. Lastly, I developed my post production skills. For instance, during AS, to edit my thriller opening, I only used one editing software which was Sony vegas pro, therefore editing was less difficult as I found its functions easier to use and I only had to learn and familiarise myself with one editing application.

However, in A2, as well as Sony Vegas Pro, I also had to use Adobe After effects, photoshop and premier pro to edit shots and create other versions of our teaser trailer. For example, photoshop and adobe after effects were used to reduce and remove the visual grain and noise that were apparent within our shots, these software’s were hard to use but effective as they enabled me to create a higher quality production. Premier pro was further used to create a second edit of the trailer, premier pro is a more advanced editing software to Sony vegas, therefore by having my project on two software’s, this allowed me to edit with more flexibility and with a wide array of features and tools.

For instance, Sony Vegas Pro had hover scrub technology, this enabled me to  scrub through footage in a trimmer window which allowed me to quickly identify important portions of video clips and add it in with ease and convenience. In contrast, Adobe Premier Pro had audition audio effects which gave our trailer high quality real time audio with better sounding output and improved fidelity. Thus, my post production editing skills developed significantly from AS to A2 as I had to learn to use more editing software’s which familiarised me on how to edit effectively as I learnt about more features and different ways to edit the trailer.

A2 allowed me to extend my practical production skills in print media. For instance, during AS, I only had to create a moving image media product, however, in A2, I had to create a magazine and poster to accompany my teaser trailer which was a part of a whole promotional package. Therefore, I had to learn and rely solely on photoshop which is software that is difficult to use. However, with lots of practice lessons with my teacher and watching tutorials, I learnt extensively on how to use photoshop and I also gained knowledge of its hundreds of features and tools, this therefore enabled me to create an effective poster and magazine which would contribute well to my overall promotional package. Overall, the knowledge I gained in AS was basic, however, during A2, this knowledge was reinforced in depth and enabled me to become effective with my approach towards cross media and the media industry in terms of print and moving image products which is conveyed through my teaser trailer, magazine and poster.

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

The horror teaser trailer utilises many forms and conventions of real horror films. For instance, the continuous use of the element of darkness in the trailer not only constructs an atmospheric environment but it also abides by conventions as darkness is frequently used in horror films to build up suspense and anticipation as well as inject fear into the audience as viewers will experience nervousness if they are introduced by pitch black darkness. Darkness within the trailer was created through shots taken in dim lighting.

Secondly, our trailer also used the convention of having two female victims, the use of characters within our media product therefore abides by conventions as horror films traditionally utilise the female gender as victims as women are stereotypically conveyed as vulnerable and weak which implies that they can’t defend themselves against the antagonists of horror, this can also link to Laura Mulveys theory of “The Male Gaze” which is where women are sexualised and portrayed as objects, further connoting that they are inferior which connects with their portrayal within horror films.

Furthermore, a jump shot was utilised to follow the typical conventions of horror that I had identified during the research and planning stage which was pre – production. The jump shot shows the face of a boy (a ghost) which also abides by the codes of horror films as ghosts are the main antagonists that prey on victims. The trailer promotes a supernatural horror genre, therefore a ghost not only is conventional within these types of horror films but also will enable the audience to easily identify the genre of our film through the teaser trailer.  

In addition, The film magazine also uses and follows common codes and conventions. Firstly, the layout of my magazine is an O type layout. This is where there is a main image in the middle with text surrounding it, this type of layout is conventional as there are many film magazines that adopt this. For example, Empire Magazine which is a well-known British film magazine, adopts an O type layout for some of its monthly magazines. Furthermore, my film magazine has a barcode with a price next to it which is not only conventional but adds an element of professionalism to my magazine cover.

My magazine also includes several film related cover lines explaining the contents and features included inside which is conventional as all film magazines will have cover lines that reference to the film industry and its latest news, these cover lines are in a professional and simple font which is also conventional as many film magazines will use unpretentious typefaces to maintain professionalism and authenticity. Lastly, my magazine also includes a website link which is conventional as film magazines will usually be available on different media platforms.

Lastly, my print film poster also follows codes and conventions. For instance, my poster cover follows a conventional layout and placement of having the main title at the top with a main image covering the entirety of the cover as well as credits, logos and even a slogan. These features are included in 90% of horror film posters, therefore by using these conventions, my film poster will be reflective of real life horror posters.

The colour of my main image is also very dark, this therefore makes my cover look like a horror film poster but this is also conventional as darkness is a typical element used in other horror posters to create and inject fear into the audience. My poster includes a release date and a production company logo which is conventional as official horror film posters will also include a company logo and a cinema release date.

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

Firstly, the combination of a teaser trailer and magazine is effective as it promotes the film over two different media platforms. For instance, a teaser trailer will have the ability to reach online audiences where as a magazine will be able to entice offline audiences, this therefore widens the array of promotion for our film and in return improves customer awareness.  The synergy of both a magazine and trailer is also effective as it will enable the attraction of different types of customers to our film. For instance, a teaser trailer will appeal to consumers who prefer to see screenplay instead of reading but a magazine will satisfy and entice those who prefer to read, therefore promoting through two different media outlets will efficiently lead to growth in recognition of our media product which is a signifier of effective promotion.

Furthermore, convergence has been used to bring together both industries in promoting the film. For instance, my production company is stationed in London therefore my teaser trailer will be distributed in Britain however, there are plans to distribute the teaser trailer along with my magazine and poster in American via American based print and moving image distribution companies. Distributing my promotional package in England will provide me with more potential to reach a wide range of audiences however, distributing in America will efficiently globalise my promotional campaign which will enable me to develop international influence as I will be operating on an international scale.

In promoting my film, synergy has also been used to broaden my target audience and ultimately boost sales revenue, this effectively will contribute to higher box office figures which will increase the reputability of my film and promotional package.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Firstly, the audience feedback that was carried out for my teaser trailer included showing my target audience of teenagers aged 15/20 our media product and collecting information on their opinions and thoughts.  This was beneficial as I learned that my teaser trailer was quite successful as my target audience that participated all gave positive comments about the trailer and was optimistic about its future success. 

In addition, I also asked two specific questions to my target audience. These questions include:

Question 1: What genre was the trailer?

Question 2: Did it follow codes and conventions of horror did this scare you?

I asked these two specific questions as I would need to find out whether the genre of my trailer was identifiable by audiences. This is important because my teaser trailer would have to be reflective of the horror genre as my film is a supernatural horror. Secondly, I would also have to find out whether my trailers codes and conventions were recognisable which is important as the trailer has to follow conventions. As the trailer is also a horror, it was imperative to find out whether it is scary as my teaser would have to inject fear into the audience to reinforce its role as a horror trailer and engage the audience

Upon asking the first question, my target audience clearly identified my teaser trailer to be promoting a film that is in the horror genre. This question was important to ask as its imperative to know whether the product is reflective of the correct genre and whether this is conveyed to the audience. Upon asking the second question, I gave a few examples of horror codes and conventions to familiarise my focus group.

My target audience of 15/20 year olds commented that the trailer had utilised many different codes and conventions of horror and even gave examples. One 16-year-old said “the trailers shot were continuously dark which is conventional as many horror films that Ive watched have dark atmospheric settings”, a 19-year-old also commented that “the trailers jump shot is conventional as ive been frightened by several jump scares when watching horror movies in the cinema or with friends”

This feedback therefore indicated that my teaser trailer was constructed and devised properly as its genre was easily recognisable but codes and conventions were also evident to the target audience that participated in my research.

Feedback was also an ongoing process. Upon reflection, it allowed me to continuously improve the different aspects of my teaser trailer and enhance anything that needed improving. For example, as well as audience feedback, a professional editor also came into the school to look at the first draft of the trailer.  He then recommended changes and tweaks that I should make to the trailer to make it more effective and reflective of a horror teaser. For example, he suggested that we build up the action of our trailer by including faster paced scenes, faster paced scenes made the trailer snappier which further added intensity and suspension.

Overall, feedback was important as gaining the viewpoints of other types of people and my target audience introduced lots of constructive criticism that was used to improve my teaser trailer.

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

During the pre – production process I used a range of media technologies to carry out research and planning. For instance, I used a website called blogger to record and organise my research however, the purpose of using this website was to interact with online audiences can then view, comment, like and repost anything that I have on my blog but it was also an easy way to collect and store evidence of pre -production, production and post production processes.

I also utilised the web 2.0 to conduct secondary research through the use of social media applications such as YouTube where I would be able to access other real life media products for analysis. Furthermore, I also used computer software applications such as Microsoft word, PowerPoint presentation and Prezi to effectively present and convey my research to viewers.

Prezi was important to use as it enabled me to be creative with presentation as the software can be used as an alternative to PowerPoint as it doesn’t use the traditional slide function. Prezi instead allowed me to pan and zoom on various information within presentations which helped me accentuate certain ideas or concepts.

Computer software wouldn’t be accessible without the school computers and a personal laptop that I used continuously for research and planning.  Furthermore, to present information more creatively, I also used an iPad to access iMovie to take pictures and create short useful clips that helped to convey research in visual format.

For the production process of the trailer, we used a Panasonic 1080p camera to shoot all of our shots, this was accompanied by a tripod , we used this for the purpose of ensuring our shots were in higher resolution and quality but a tripod was imperative as it enabled us to create smoother and steadier shots which would make our shots look more professional.

Also, we used Sony Vegas pro editing software to compile and edit our teaser trailer as opposed to IMovie. We chose Sony Vegas Pro over IMovie as IMovie had the limitation of being only available on Apple devices. It is also an amateur and unprofessional editing software in comparison to Sony Vegas Pro.

With Sony vegas pro, I was able to edit without issue as I could use my Windows Computer. Furthermore, Sony Vegas Pro also had more capabilities than IMovie. For instance, it has more editing features, tools and effects which includes 3D editing, keyframing, multiple sequences, timeline display and changeable aspect ratios. These extra features provided me with a wider variety of tools to use during editing which further enhanced my ability to edit with flexibility.

Shots for our trailer were also sharpened and quality was enhanced through noise reduction on Adobe After effects software.

To improve communication and organise scheduled shooting times, our group used WhatsApp which is a social networking application that provides free messaging, using this therefore helped us to communicate better with each other as a unit but was also convenient for all group members as it was easier to arrange shooting and editing sessions.

Ancillary final products

Final Teaser Trailer

Final Poster

Final Magazine

Construct Poster

The image above is my final poster.

Poster - Photoshop - The making process

Firstly, prior to making my poster, me and a group member went outside to take pictures of our school and its surroundings as this was the setting of our horror film. Once i started to work on my poster on Photoshop, i intertwined two photos together, one picture was of the school and another was of a forest setting that was taken on the backfield of my sixth form. I then blended the two images together through the use of a feather and blend mode tool as well as opacity and brightness settings to ensure the picture of the school and the forest look like one picture.  i then used  a black and white image tool to make the overall cover look more dark and sinister which would help me produce an effective horror poster. I also used a black fill and mask overlay with a brush tool to add and infuse a dark atmospheric environment onto the cover, this added a mystical but conventional tone to my poster cover. Furthermore, i added an age restriction sign , release date and personalised credits on the bottom of the cover which adds authenticity to the cover and makes my poster look professional. 

Mock Up Plans

Down below are a few mock up plans for the layout of my poster. These layouts are some ideas of what my poster will include and where it will be placed on the cover. Drawing up these mock up plans enable me to experiment with different layouts for my cover which will help create a suitable and effective poster cover that looks right and appeals to my target market.

Slogan Ideas - Mind Map

Mood Board of Posters

The mood board above that i created prior to my poster will be used to generate ideas and concepts for my own poster cover. For instance, by looking at multiple horror film posters, i can see what a conventional and effective poster is suppose to look like which will aid with my ability to construct a poster cover that is reflective of the horror genre which is the genre of the film that i will be promoting within my marketing package. Looking at several posters can also help me see what all horror posters have in common with each other so that i can apply this to my own poster. For instance, most of the posters in my mood board have red fonts for their titles, therefore i will also consider doing the same for my poster so that it looks traditional. My mood board overall will provide me with different ideas that i can use and implement within my poster cover which will enable me to create a suitable and influential horror poster that will contribute positively to my marketing campaign.

Poster Analysis x 4

Construct Magazine

The picture above is my final Magazine.

Magazine - Photoshop - The Making Process

Firstly, i started off with a leather black background with a few white areas, however, upon choosing my photo, i believed this background didnt match the main image of my magazine. The leather background also didnt resemble or reflect the genre of horror, the background therefore wasn't effective for me to use for my magazine as it looked like a normal piece of leather rather than a suitable background for a horror magazine such as mine.

Secondly, i removed the leather background and replaced it with a pitch black background , i chose to do this as darkness as closely affiliated with the genre of horror and is conventional within horror films, the nature of darkness was appropriate as a background. Next, i searched horror themed fonts on the internet that were royalty free and available to download. I then chose the font called You Murderer BB for the masthead of my magazine which is named Night Terrors, it was suitable to use as it had a blood and gore theme. Secondly, i took a still image from my group's production shots that weren't used and implemented it into my magazine. I then cropped it using the pen tool, however, it was difficult to crop due to the dark atmosphere surrounding the character, it was difficult to distinguish and crop an accurate head shape with all of the characters features. The characters shape on screen therefore looked unnatural and unprofessional, i decided to leave this aspect of my magazine until later. Furthermore, i added a barcode at the bottom of my magazine to make it look more authentic. Next, i decided to download more horror themed fonts for my magazine, i then found a font named Buried Before BB that i used for the text at the bottom of my magazine. I ensured there was a red box below the text so that it was easily noticeable and readable for viewers. It was important for this text to be noticed as it include the plus features of my magazine which would serve the purpose of an incentive for readers to purchase my magazine. I also added the website of my magazine on the top left hand corner in white as well as a halloween edition sticker on the right hand corner. Besides the red box, i also added the price of my magazine which is £2.50.

Next, i decided to take another still shot from my group's production shot that was slightly different from the last shot. I then enlarged the image so that it covers the whole magazine. This looked much better than before but the colour of the still shot that was taken was quite grey and it also had some grain/visual noise, therefore it didnt stand well next to my black background but the shot also wasn't as visible as it should be.

Furthermore, to blend in the character into the background, i used the surface blur tool which also reduced the grain beside the characters face which helped to retain my original black background. Next, i also used the magic wand tool to take out the black box that surrounded the masthead which was useful as part of the characters face was under the masthead which made my magazine look more consistent. Furthermore, i also used the reduce grain tool to remove the noise from the characters face and i used colour contrasting and brightness tools to make the characters face more sinister but also visible to the audience. The black and white of the characters face was extremely noticeable but the combination of colours made his face pop. In addition, next to the price of the magazine, i added the date and issue number to make my magazine look more official. I also took out the halloween sticker in the top right hand corner as it looked unoriginal and unsuitable for my magazine. In addition, i added a picture of John Carpenter and a story relating to him in the middle of my magazine cover, i felt this was appropriate as my magazine is based on horror and John Carpenter is a well known horror director, therefore his appearance on my magazine links to horror and is therefore suitable for me to include. i added a white border around John Carpenter's face to make my magazine look more professional and i also used professional font for the story beside him which was called Oswald BB, i downloaded this off the internet. I also added and customized a halloween pumpkin and placed it in the bottom right hand corner to illustrate to readers that this magazine is a halloween special edition. Conveying this message through a pumpkin would be effective as the pumpkin is the traditional logo that symbolizes the event of halloween. 

I went on to make a few significant changes to my magazine. Firstly, i enlarged the date, issue number and price of my magazine, i then coloured it yellow to make it more noticeable and i placed it on the top right hand corner of my cover. I also changed the placement of my magazines website and i put it on the bottom right hand corner above the barcode and beneath the halloween pumpkin. Secondly, i moved the masthead to the middle of the magazine and i created a slogan and placed this beneath the masthead itself. To make my cover more appealing to readers, i added a limited edition sign on the top left hand corner to provide viewers with a incentive to further read the inside contents of my magazine. I further added page information at the bottom left hand corner that would show viewers that my magazine is 50 pages long. In addition, i added another story to the front of my magazine which is based around the Amityville House, this was appropriate to utilise as the Amityville House comes from the horror film , Amityville Horror. I used the same typeface for my second story however i manipulated the size of the text to ensure it fits within the cover without overlapping or coming to close to the other contexts of the magazine. Like the photo of John Carpenter, i added a white border for the Amityville House picture to ensure my magazine maintains professionalism but this also made the cover look more consistent. Furthermore, i added red lines below and over writing to make the text look more polished but also to highlight the coverlines of my magazine. Furthermore, i also added a bloody handprint on the top right hand corner to make my magazine look more horror themed but the colour of the hand also matches the red colouring of the covers masthead and slogan.

Upon meeting with my teacher, she suggested that i start my magazine again, this was justified as my current magazine was too complicated and didnt look professional, therefore i was more than willing to start a new magazine as i would be able to create one that looks authentic and more reflective of typical film magazines. My last magazine also focused too much on the horror genre, therefore it didnt take the role of being an informative and official film magazine. To start off my new magazine, i changed the picture on the front cover and placed it in the middle to leave space for my masthead, the new picture also was more clear to see and showed the characters face in lots of detail. The picture above shows the starting point of my new magazine that i would work on progressively.

The first significant change i made to my new magazine was the main picture. I felt the characters chin and mouth was cut off and therefore i decided to choose a photo that showed the characters full face without any obstructions. Secondly, i changed the name of my magazine from Night Terrors to Film Reel as i felt this name was more suited to a film magazine, i even ensured the font of this masthead had a film reel effect on it to ensure the title is recognisable but the typeface also links to the name of the masthead itself. Furthermore, i added a barcode to the right side of the magazine to make my magazine look more professional, i also added a date on top of it to ensure my magazine denotes authenticity. In addition, i made the cover lines of my magazine more simple than it was before and added these on both sides of my cover. I highlighted the head cover lines with yellow to make it clear to viewers what the topic of my cover lines are. In addition, i added the title(School Secret) of my teaser trailer under the face of the character to make it clear that this magazine is promoting me and my groups film. I also added a slogan at the top of my magazine to provide viewers with an incentive to further read and purchase my magazine, this is also reinforced with a free cd advertisement on the bottom right that will also appeal to readers. The price of my magazine is placed at the bottom of my magazine however i may consider moving this next to the barcode to make my magazine look more conventional. In regards to text, i used an outer glow effect on all text to make it stand out more. Furthermore, i have yet to edit the characters face on my magazine cover but i will most likely use photoshop's magnetic lasso tool to cut out the face from its background and place it within my own magazine. However, i've already reduced the visual noise and sharpened the characters face to enhance the overall quality of the shot but i still have a lot of work to do in regards to editing the characters face for my magazine cover.

Firstly, the most significant change that you will see is of the main image of my magazine. Not only did i resize the image and enlarge it but i used color contrast and brightness tools to make the characters face stand out and become more visible to the audience as well as rubber and blend tools to remove the background from the character itself. I also changed the font of my main cover lines to make it look more professional. I changed the way " School Secret " was presented by changing the font into a horror themed typeface and i separated the writing and positioned it accordingly but i left a white box on the word " School" just to add extra effect to the title itself.  In the bottom right hand corner, i had an advertisement for a free CD however i removed this and replaced it with a promotional sticker to make the cover more authentic and reflective of a film magazine. Furthermore i placed the price of my magazine from the bottom to above the barcode so that my magazine maintains a conventional look. I also decreased the size of my date and price so that it does attract too much attention to viewers. I added a website link on the top left of my cover just under the masthead to ensure my cover looks official as a website link implies that my magazine brand is accessible on other platforms. In addition, i added shadows to any text that wasn't visible enough to ensure it was readable for the audience.

The last changes i made to my magazine was reducing the font size of the pound sign on the front cover so that it matches the priced numbers. I also changed the red button on the bottom right hand side as previously, this button looked blurry and unclear which would make it difficult for viewers to read my magazine.

Layout Ideas - Flat Plans

Down Below are a few layout plans that i may adopt for my own magazine, having the correct layout will ensure that i can maximise my ability to make my cover look attractive and effective towards my marketing package.

Z Type Layout:

O Type Layout;

C Type Layout:

Masthead Ideas - Mind Map

Cover Lines Ideas - Mind Map

Magazine - Market Research /Findings

The market research i carried out for my magazine included asking several individuals the same question which was: What do you expect to see on a magazine cover? Before asking this, i showed the individuals a few magazine covers to give them ideas. I only asked this question as i wanted to grab a range of opinions from different individuals which would enable me to gain a wider array of research to use for the construction of my magazine. Down below are a few pictures taken of from my market research process:

Firstly, upon asking my main question (What do you expect to see on a magazine cover?), i received many different answers. Firstly, some individual said that they expect to see a large title as its important to know the company or brand of the magazine. As a result, i will also aim to create a large masthead for my own magazine as this is not only conventional but it will enable viewers to identify my cover with ease. In addition, a big masthead is an expectation therefore its imperative to include it within my magazine cover. Furthermore, most individuals said that a magazine should have a large image as this is what would attract them to the cover in the first place. Based on this answer, i will also include a large image within my magazine cover to ensure i can grab the attention of viewers instantaneously but a large image will also provide readers with visual aid. Next, most individuals also commented that a magazine should have interesting stories or slogans as this is what will entice them to purchase or further read the magazine. Therefore i will also ensure my magazines cover lines are both informative but attractive to the audience which will provide readers with an incentive to purchase my magazine. Interesting cover lines will indicate that my magazine represents good value for money. In addition, almost all individuals commented that a magazine cover should look appealing in terms of colour but also professional. Therefore i will aim to use suitable colour schemes within my cover to make it stand out but i will choose professional fonts to make my magazine cover look more authentic and official. In conclusion, after asking several individuals my main question, i found out what they expected a magazine cover to include which further informed me that i should include what individuals mentioned as i would have to ensure i meet consumer expectations. This therefore will enable me to include important components within the front cover of my magazine which will add to its effectiveness as part of my promotional package, the wide array of individual opinions also allows me to experiment with the aspects of my magazine which will aid with my ability to create the most suitable and efficient cover that will have the potential to reach and entice my target market.

Summary of Magazine Analysis

Firstly, upon analysing six different magazines, i now have better knowledge of the a magazines conventions. For instance, most of the magazines that i analysed conventionally had a barcode which was placed in the bottom right hand corner. Therefore i may also consider doing this with my magazine, a barcode is imperative for my magazine it will make it look more authentic. Secondly, another convention i had found out from my research is that most magazines include their masthead at the top and is usually placed behind or infront of a primary image. As a result, im going to consider doing the same as having the masthead at the top of the magazine is instantly recognisable but also traditional. Lastly, magazines conventionally have large images of people/characters in the front cover, therefore i will also implement this into my own magazine.

Secondly, my research of magazines informed me that different magazines will entice and focus on their own target audiences, therefore target audiences were subject to the contents of a particular magazine. However, magazines would include certain aspects and information that would help them to attract their target audiences. For instance, i had analysed a film magazine that had an focused on a target audience that was interested in action films and the action genre. This was conveyed to me through the contents of the magazine itself. For example, the magazine included several cover lines of other action films, this was accompanied by pictures of the films themselves. Furthermore, the magazine had a main image of a character with a weapon. The weapon used by the character implied that he was part of an action film as guns are commonly used within action based films. Also, the magazine mentioned cover lines of famous directors within the action genre ( Quentin Tarantino) which served the purpose of directly addressing action film fans. As a result of analysing an action film magazine, i was able to see how the magazine addresses its target audience. I may therefore adopt and implement the same features on my magazine so that i can attract my own target audience. As mentioned in the treatment of my marketing campaign,  i stated that my target audience was 16 year olds - 24 year olds, therefore in order to communicate with this target audience, i may consider including cover lines and pictures of other horror films, directors and stories that may grab the attention of my young target audience.

In regards to colour, the magazines that i analysed included many different colours however the primary colours that were used are black, red and white. For instance, white was primarily used for the fonts and typefaces of the magazine. I may also consider doing this as white is easily readable and conventional across the different types of magazine that i analysed. The colour black was mainly used for backgrounds of the magazines as its simple but accompanies white font colours more effectively which makes it easier for viewers to read the magazines front cover. Lastly, red was mainly used for cover lines and mastheads which served the purpose of highlighting these features of the magazine, this made the most important titles of the magazine more easy to notice and read as red stood out amongst the other colours of the magazine. I may also decide to use red for my own magazine as my magazine will be horror based, the colour red links in with blood and gore therefore this colour will be suitable for me to use. 

The house style of magazines were maintained throughout as they used the same features. For example, i had analysed two film magazines that were from the company called EMPIRE. There were many aspects of these magazines that made the house style clear across these editions. Firstly, the masthead of each magazine was in the same place each time which was the top of the magazine. Secondly, these magazines also had their barcodes placed on the right bottom hand corner. Furthermore, on top of the masthead, these magazines had quotes or slogans that lead to other stories. These cover lines were persuasive slogans that would serve the purpose of grabbing a readers attention and persuading them to purchase the magazine. Based on my research, i may also implement similar features into my own magazine to ensure i can use them across a range of magazine editions which will enable me to create a particular house style for my magazine.

Upon analysing 6 magazines, characters were represented with different shots and angles however the most common shot and angles were close up shots and medium shots that may have been both studio and still shots from the film itself. Close up shots are effective as they convey lots of detail to audiences. I may also consider using a close up shot for my magazine which might be effective as my marketing campaign is based on a horror film, therefore i could use a close up shot to show the antagonist of me and my groups teaser trailer, this may inject fear into readers but will also directly address my target audience. Secondly, i may also consider using a medium shot as it will allow readers to see more of the main image but the shot can also be used to show certain props or objects that a character is holding which can help to emphasise my magazine as horror. For example, i may want to include a medium shot of a masked character that is holding a weapon, which can imply that my film is a slasher horror film. However, my film is a supernatural horror therefore i may want to show an image of a ghost and its victim which can emphasise the genre of my magazine to be supernatural horror.

The magazine that i analysed used simple fonts that were easy to read. For instance, none of them had any standout special visual effects which may have been done to ensure viewers can easily read the cover of magazines. However, for my font, i may decide to add specific effects such dripping blood to make my magazines font look more horror themed. Therefore, i may use a simple font but i will try to manipulate it to ensure it looks and matches the magazines genre of horror, specifically supernatural horror. The language used by magazines were extremely persuasive and certain slogans were used to provide an incentive for viewers to purchase and carry on reading the magazine. For example, some of the slogans used include Complete Access , Exclusive , Best Preview, First Look. As a result, i may also consider using similar language for my own magazine to ensure i have a better ability to persuade readers into purchasing and viewing my magazine, as a result, i will try to provide readers with a stimulus.

The layouts of the magazines that i had analysed were similar as each magazine had a main image with surrounding text. However, these layouts differed in shape. For example, these magazines used C type, O type and U type layouts which were also reversed. The most common layout type however was O type. This type of layout consists of a magazine having a main image aligned in the center with surround text all around it in the form of cover lines, extra stories, slogans, etc. As a result, i will consider using the same type of layout for my own magazine as it can enable me to provide readers with lots of information that can be accompanied by visual aid. In addition, most of the magazines conventionally used up at least 90% of the page by filling it with context. Therefore, i will also try to the same as it will make my magazine look more reflective of traditional magazines but will help me convey as much information as possible to my target audience mainly through the front cover. Although i had analysed several magazines, only two of them were for film magazines, however, they were EMPIRE magazines and were selling at a price of £3.99 which was visible on front cover. I may consider charging this price however, as this is my first magazine, it may be more suitable to charge lower prices as my magazine is start up, therefore if i charge premimum prices, i may not sell as much and it may also put customers off purchasing my magazine.In addtion, i will place the price of magazine strategically with small font so that consumers do not look at the cost first thing.

Magazine Analysis x 6

Introduction to Ancillary Task

Firstly, for my ancillary task, i will be conducting research prior to constructing my magazine to enable me to create a conventional and effective magazine for my marketing campaign. For instance, i will be analysing several magazines and i will create a summary of my findings. My summary will show me what a typical magazine includes such as its conventions, magazine designs, house styles, use of colour, typefaces, type of language, layouts and prices. Secondly, to add onto my research, i will be creating and distributing market research in the form of an audience questionnaire, this will help me see what consumers expect to see in a magazine. I will be brainstorming ideas of my magazines masthead and cover lines which will aid with my ability to implement these features into my own magazine in the most effective way. Furthermore, i will be creating flat plans of layout ideas which will provide me with a range of layouts to choose and use for my own magazine. In addition, i may decide to undergo a photoshoot for my magazines main image, if i decide to do this, i will take photos of my photoshoot for proof. Also, during the making process of my magazine, i will take screenshots and create logs to show the progress of my magazine. Secondly, before i make my poster, i will analyse horror posters and create a mood board of different horror posters to generate more ideas for my own poster, these ideas can be using different text, image and colours. Furthermore, i will also make a mind map for slogan ideas which will be used for my poster for dramatic effect. I will also create more mock-up plans and ideas to ensure i have a wide range of suggestions to use which will enable me to create a conventional horror poster. Lastly, the making process will also be screenshotted and converted into log so that i can track and show evidence for my progress.