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.