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

YouTube:

I used YouTube during the research stage. I watched many thriller trailers on YouTube such as Oiuji and The Gallows. This gave me a wide aspect of conventions I could possibly use in my own trailer. This included what type of non-diegetic music was used, the timings of trailers and what type of transitions were used. As a group, we decided to use fades to black which can be seen in many thriller trailers which can be viewed on YouTube. I also used YouTube to upload a voice- recording of myself explaining the editing process. YouTube is also where I uploaded the first and final drafts of the film trailer, and the pitch we had recorded.

Google Images:

Google images helped me during the construction and research stage. When I was creating my film magazines, I googled other film magazines for layout ideas and conventions. I did the same for my film posters. I also used Google Images to look at background ideas for my own media texts. Google Images is also where I found most images posted on my blog.

Instagram:

Instagram helped me when it came to my planning. I made a new Instagram account to reflect a mood board of Film posters. This enabled me to look back through the social media account and see any stereotypical conventions used such as the main image is stereotypically a mid shot of the main character and the main colours used are black, dark blues and white.

Adobe Photoshop:

Photo shop helped me and Alex create many things such as the 'Unhinged' title and the credits for the end of the trailer. We explored with the inner and outer glow effects and font sizes and positioning of the texts. We kept the same production company logo from last year because we didn't want to waste any time on preparing a new one. The logo was made on Photoshop and it connotes power through the use of the star.

Secondly, I used Photoshop for my research stage. The task was to create a copy of a film magazine front cover which was Jupiter Ascending. This was one of the first pieces of work I had done. This task helped me navigate and get used to Photoshop for when it came to creating my own poster and magazine cover. This task was challenging to get it looking nearly the same however, I learnt new skills such as using the Lassoo Tool and exploring the font types.

I then used Photoshop for my magazine front cover and poster to help promote my trailer. This was challenging but I had background knowledge from previous tasks. After I had my layout sorted, I explored many effects such as turning a picture into black and white and putting a fade on to it.

Phone:

In our original plans, we were going to use a mobile phone during a close up and mid shot of Ryan during his breakdown scene. This would be used as iconography. However, due to not having a spare phone to throw, we did not go ahead with this idea. This would have helped show the time of the trailer through the fact a phone is an everyday modern essential for young people. Smart phones were used within the group to keep in touch with each other, planning and scheduling dates to film and exchanging photos such as the shot lists. I also used my phone to take photos for my magazine font cover and poster.

Blogger:

I used blogger to post all of my planning and research followed by any feedback I had received with an update of any changes and any drafts and final products. This was a useful website to keep all my work neat and tidy.Blogger enabled me to upload YouTube videos to help support my research as well as importing photos.

Computer/Laptop:

The school computer was used for the construction of the trailer. This is where we made new files and saved any video footage, images and music. The computer was used to edit our trailer and create our individual posters and magazine front covers. The computer/laptop was the main source of this whole process. This is where I accessed YouTube, Blogger, PowerPoint, Google, Music websites and Photoshop. When it came to editing our trailer, we used a software called Adobe Premier Pro.

This programme enabled us to use transitions such as fades to white to connote a memory and a fade to black to improve our footage- a fade to black is a stereotypical convention used in film trailers. This programme enabled us to edit our trailer with the use of importing music, cutting scenes and re-arranging shots. We had never used this programme before which was a disadvantage to our time limit however, we had time to experiment with colours and contrasts and different fonts for the inter titles. Another editing technique we found was how to speed the footage up. This worked well for the end scene in order for it to flow with the non-diegetic music as well as being a stereotypical convention of a thriller.

Freeplaymusic:

Free Play Music was a website I had used to search for non-diegetic tracks to play during the trailer. I had searched many categories such as 'Thriller' 'Horror' and 'Loud'. After listening to many tracks, I then downloaded the music suitable for the trailer. After the music had downloaded, we decided as a group which music we would use. In the end we decided to go for 'Outrageous Whisper' due to it flowing with the shots. Freeplay Music was used during the research/planning and construction stages due to having to research the music firstly whilst choosing which ones and experimenting which ones suited the trailer.

FreeSound:

Freesound is very similar to Freeplay Music. Freesound was used to find sound effects which we initially wanted such as loud a loud 'bang' noise to place in the trailer to make the audience jump.

HD Camera:

In order to film, we used a HD camera. This helped us catch all the footage we needed such as the shot-reverse-shot conversations and the close up of the characters eye! Whilst using the camera, I followed the risk assessment I had created earlier on. The help of a tripod ensured we had a steady shot. Using this, we were able to film steady shots with the correct framing and height. The camera was also used to film our pitch.

PowerPoint:

We used Microsoft PowerPoint to pitch our ideas for our films. We created individual slides and then put them together to create a presentation. This enabled us to get feedback on what to improve on and enabled us to get our ideas across. The PowerPoint includes a brief speech on our initial ideas such as the initial plot, characters, mise-en-scene and sound.

What Have You Learnt From Your Audience Feedback?

Trailer feedback:
I had a lot of feedback about my trailer. There were several things I needed to change in order for my trailer to be at the best it could be

Firstly, the other students had thought my inter-titles looked like they were made on clip art. This is  negative due to realising that it is unprofessional and it does not suit the demographic of 18 plus. The inter-titles originally swiped across the screen. There is also the use of a red shadow behind the titles. These were viewed as 'clip art' which suggests it does not look professional.

However, as a group, we liked the font we used as well as the red shadow behind. We kept this the same because it is stereotypical for the colour red and white to be seen on fonts in the thriller genre. On the other hand, we decided to change the transition used on it. Instead of the text sliding, we put a zoom effect on which is a better way to draw the audience in.

·    Another thing we needed to improve on was the pace of the shot. It had been suggested to increase the pace after 47 seconds: This is because the end shots did not flow with the non-diegetic music. The cuts needed to be faster to be at the same pace as the music. This will make it more like a trailer and more interesting and 'thrilling'. We decided to increase the speed on the end shots such as the close up of the knife and the long-shot of Ryan pacing around his room. This is because this scene is dramatic and has the most action in. Therefore we sped this scene up due to it being stereotypical for a trailer.

·    It was also suggested to leave the close-up on Ryan's eyes for longer due to this shot being too fast for the audience to see. Leaving it on for a second or two longer will imply he is shocked and the audience will be able to see the shot clearly.
     
     This change was successful due to the audience having enough time to understand what is happening during the trailer. It also looks more professional as before hand, it looked more rushed when the extreme close up was on for a split second.

      Lowering the music volumes in the therapy room was another improvement. The non-diegetic music was too loud in the therapy room and the audience struggled to hear what was being said in the shot reverse shot. We decided to turn the non-diegetic music down so the audience could hear what is going n during the conversation and they will understand the narrative more.

·    We also needed to make the narrative clearer. By doing this, we needed to change the intertitle 'Three stages'. We deleted this and added a new intertitle which was 'A corrupt childhood'. This is seen as successful because this gives the audience background information and makes the narrative clearer.

·    We also changed the lighting in the therapy room. It was suggested that this scene was too light and we needed to make it low key to make the audience feel weary about the Dr. Going to therapy is not a happy thing.
     
     Overall, the changes made to the trailer have been successful due to the shots flowing better with the non-diegetic music, the narrative is more clear through the use of inter-titles and there are more stereotypical conventions used such as low key lighting and fast paced editing.

Poster feedback:
Due to my poster not being properly finished, I had little negative feedback given back. In a way, not having a large amount of feedback is difficult to work with due to not knowing how to improve and seeing my strengths and weaknesses. However, I had many problems with my poster. I had so many ideas and the ones I went ahead with did not turn out the way I had planned.

One piece of feedback I received was to add more information such as adding reviews. This is due to breaking up the dark background and also reviews being a stereotypical convention on a poster.

The second improvement was to add the other photo I was going to use. However, due to the images of Ryan and Glen, the facial proportions did not fit. Placing the two images next to each other like the way I planned did not look professional nor did it look right. Therefore I decided to change the layout a bit by moving the images to the sides of the page instead of the centre. After this, I then added in the reviews at the top of the poster as this is a stereotypical place to view them.

Magazine cover feedback:
There were several things I needed to improve on my magazine front cover. For example, the masthead I created was described as 'army style'. This is not appropriate for a magazine nor a thriller type magazine. Therefore, I changed the font into something similar due to the fact I wanted my masthead to be thick and bold. This also made it easier to fit the 'Films' part into the masthead. The font I changed it to was 'Rockwell Extra Bold' on Adobe Photoshop.

It was also suggested that I should remove the speech bubble. This is because it made my magazine counter typical due to this feature looking like it belonged on a cartoon magazine. It also helped balance the information on both sides of the magazine. It had also been noted that the yellow star I added on the competition logo looked 'odd'. The colour yellow does not associate with thrillers but also, it did not match my colour scheme of black, red and white. I have learnt that every detail counts when producing a magazine.

Another thing I made changes to was the main mid-shot. This was because the image was too high up on the page. By lowering the mid-shot, the audience will be able to see it more clearly, but also the magazine is more spread out instead of all the information being really close to each other. This makes the reader feel more at ease because they are able to see everything easier when its spaced out.

There were also a minority of comments on the black and white image used on the left side of the magazine. I thought this was effective due to a range of shots being used but also it was a shot-reverse-shot image from the trailer which I thought was appropriate when advertising the trailer. However, the image did not fit in this place therefore I deleted it. This then meant I could enlarge the text and move it around more. This makes it easier for the audience to read but also helps balance both sides of the magazine which is a stereotypical convention.

How Effective is the Combination of Your Main Product and Ancillary Texts?

SCRIPT

The genre of all three of my texts is a thriller with the demographic of 18+ this is due to the usage of blood and some foul language and violent scenes used throughout the film itself.

There are common elements used in my three texts such as the characters. The images and footage used on all three texts are of the main characters involved which are effective due to the audience being able to easily recognise them.  I chose to use a mid-shot of Alex who plays Ryan on my magazine and poster due to him being the main protagonist throughout the film. I also included a mid-shot of Glen on my magazine to portray an antagonist character. The images used on both magazine and poster are serious poses from the characters. This is because magazines and posters stereotypically use either an action shot or a still shot for their main image. Thriller posters should give a serious vibe and cold chill which is why the pose of the characters look unwelcoming. 

Following from this, the mid-shots on the poster are black and white which is similar to the flashback scene in the trailer. I also dimmed the extreme close up image of Alex’s eyes which is a still shot from the trailer to show a more dark meaning and low key lighting is a stereotypical convention for a thriller. The fact this image is low key, it can suggest that even though Ryan is an innocent character, he has a dark psychological mind which tricks the audience into thinking whether he is a protagonist or antagonist.

There is a hatred relationship between Ryan and his father Glen. This is seen in the low angle shot of Glen shouting at Ryan during the trailer. This is also portrayed in the poster with the mid-shot image of him and Ryan on different sides of the poster looking serious. This relationship is a narrative I included in my poster. This will attract the audience and intrigue them to want to watch the trailer and film due to wanting to find out why they have a bad relationship and what will happen as the outcome. This is classed as a thriller due to the ‘unknown’ being a stereotypical convention.

I emphasized many film genre conventions such as the low key lighting which can be seen in the trailer towards the end but also the use of dark backgrounds on both my magazine cover and poster. This instantly tells the audience what genre it is due to dark colours being more associated to a thriller/horror rather than a comedy.  I also used professional fonts and colours within all three texts. My research showed me that the main colours used in fonts are red or white with a very dark background colour either black or dark blue. I used synergistic features within my trailer such as the inter-titles which includes a white serif font with an added red shadow behind it. This connotes danger and fear. I also kept the same colour scheme for my poster and magazine with the colours red and white. I kept the title the same for all three texts so the audience will be able to recognise it easily. The title is big and bold due to it being an important part of information; the title is white with a red outline. The title consists of blood splats which connotes death or violence which is similar to ‘The Last House on the Left’ title.

However, I created a tag line but this can only be seen on the poster I created. The tag line is ‘One way out’. With the font Trajan Pro on Photoshop. I kept the text white and added a red drop shadow behind. It would have been effective to use this as an inter-title for my other texts but a tag line is more suitable and stereotypical to be on a poster. The use of the tagline will intrigue the audience and give a thrilling effect which was the main purpose of it.

I used effects on the trailer such as a fade to white to show a memory. I used similar effects on my poster and magazine by using a white glow behind the images. This glow also helped make the images stand out and look more supernatural which is a stereotypical convention. The white glow can also connote innocence which exaggerates Ryan’s character.

There is a link in the institution between two of my texts. For example, the production company is seen on the trailer and poster. This is useful and effective due to the audience knowing what types of films are made. The age certificate is also seen on the trailer and poster. These are stereotypical places to view them. This is effective because it is clear who the main demographic is. Furthermore, the release date is on the poster and trailer and it is bold which makes it eye catchy. This is effective and will give the film views because the audience will know when it is available.

Overall, using the same colour scheme, images, fonts and generic conventions, the combination of my trailer, poster and magazine cover is effective due to it being easily recognisable. Due to the use of technological convergence, the demographic will easily be able to view these products on their phones or tablets due to them being published on social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms of Conventions from Real Media Products?

Screen shot one: Title
The title of the film is a stereotypical convention every film needs. I decided to name my film 'Unhinged' due to it meaning on edge which is a stereotypical feeling of a thriller type genre film. The title is short and snappy which will make it easier for the audience to remember. This title is similar to other horror and thriller films such as 'Unfriended' and 'Sinister'. These titles contains one word.

This title can be viewed on the trailer towards the end. This is a stereotypical place to view the title due to the audience being more likely to remember it if it was the last thing viewed. This is similar to other trailers such as 'Intruders' and 'The Loft' The title is also the same on the poster and magazine cover I created due to the fact this is also a stereotypical convention. The title on posters are bold and usually located in the centre of the page. Having the same title is effective and stereotypical due to the audience being able to easily recognise it. I kept the font for the title white so it contrasts against the black background and there is a red outline glow to connote blood. This is similar to The Last House on the Left. My research showed me that white and red were the most common colours used for a thriller and horror title.

Screen shot two: Transitions
I used many stereotypical and counter typical effects and transitions during my trailer. I challenged the form of transitions through the use of a fade to white. This can be seen on the close up of Ryan's eyes. In film trailers, a fade to black is more commonly used. The fade of white in my trailer connotes a flashback and memory which is relatable to the film. This is not usually seen in other thriller films. However, I also used stereotypical transitions such as a fade to black. The fade to black can be seen during the black and white shot reverse shot. The fade to black is stereotypical due to adding more excitement for the audience by holding a slightly long pause for the next shot. I also added a zoom into a shot reverse shot. This is stereotypical as it draws attention to the characters and brings more tension for the audience.

Another editing technique I used was the black and white filter which connotes a memory which is viewed as stereotypical for thrillers. This filter has been used on the shot-reverse-shot conversation as well as the low angle of Glen. I thought a black and white filter would make our trailer unique due to it not being a stereotypical convention.

 Screen shot three: Props
We used many props such as a knife which can be seen in the mid shot as well as pills which can also be seen in the mid shot in the bathroom setting. The use of these props are effective because of the connotation of violence and drug usage which is associated in the thriller genre. These props can be seen in many thriller films such as the 2003 film 'The Hunted'. We decided to include these props due to them being appropriate for our aimed demographic. 'SAW' is a film example where they use extreme props such as a head cage and the use of needles. However, as a small production company, we could not provide anything this extreme. Also, our film does not have the intention to 'gross out' the viewers in the same way 'SAW' does.

Screen shot four: Low Key Lighting
Another film trailer convention is low key lighting. Low key lighting can be seen in the scene which is set in the bedroom of Ryan having a breakdown. This ranges from many shots such as a long-shot, mid shot, birds eye view and a close up of the knife. This is also included with fast paced cuts which is a stereotypical convention for this part of the trailer. The low key lighting connotes emotional distress of feeling depressed, lonely and danger. These feelings are all stereotypical for a character to feel in the thriller genre. This low key lighting is effective because it leaves an enigma for the audience, stating something bad is going to happen. This convention is seen in almost every thriller trailer such as 'The Boy', '1408' and 'Sinister'.

Screen shot five: Dark Background
My research has shown that dark backgrounds are used on thriller posters and magazines. I used a black background on both of the texts. However, in this case I have used a black background on the intertitles to keep the same colour scheme for my other texts. The black background contrasts with the white font with the red back shadow. This is also a stereotypical convention for film trailers. The dark background is plain because the main focus is on the written text. This can be seen in other film trailers such as 'Intruders' and 'Good People'.

Screen shot six: Characters
The characters during my trailer are mixed ages with different characteristics. Ryan for example is young which suggests this character is more likely to relate to the demographic more than the other characters. During the film itself, there are flashbacks which involve a little boy, who plays Ryan when he was younger. This character is stereotypical due to young people being lazy, but he is also going through psychological pain which can be seen as a countertype for his character. The mother in the trailer is weak, vulnerable and scared. This is stereotypical. Women tend to be the weak characters in the thriller genre. This can be seen in The Last House on the Left and 'The Boy'.

The psychiatrist can be seen as counter typical because in reality they are viewed as good people willing to help out with other peoples problems. However, the trailer does not give too much away about his character which suggests he may not be as good as he is made out to be. On the other hand, Dr.Phillips can be seen as a stereotypical character in a thriller due to other films portraying this. A film example is The Human Centipede. The doctor in this is an antagonist.

Screen shot seven: Masthead
A masthead is a stereotypical convention for a magazine. I decided to locate this at the top of the magazine due to my research showing me that is the stereotypical place. I kept it big and bold due to the fact that the audience will know the name of the magazine and know what types of magazines this brand uses. I decided to call the masthead as Topliner films. This is due to the fact topliner connotes star, power and that is a good advertising technique, to show the audience that this magazine is better than its competitors. 

Screen shot eight: Reviews
Reviews are also a stereotypical convention for a poster. This makes the audience feel intrigued to want to watch the film due to reviews showing it contains a great narrative and it is the best film in that genre. These reviews are also relatable to cinema 'buffs'. Cinema buffs will watch films through the use of reviews. Reviews are stereotypically located on all three texts such as magazine, trailer and poster. However, I only included reviews on the poster and magazine. The magazine is a quote. This fits in and is stereotypical through the context involved. Magazines contain more information than a poster. The poster has two reviews with a star rating. This is stereotypical and can be seen on other thriller posters such as 'The Guest'. These reviews are seen at the top of the poster which is where I placed my reviews.

Screen shot nine: Images used
The images used are also stereotypical. This is because I have the use of an extreme close-up and two mid-shots. These mid-shots are still shots which is stereotypical for posters. The characters pose  is a serious facial expression which is also stereotypical for a thriller. The two mid-shots have been enlarged and placed half way down on the page. The images are the main focus point on the poster and I have made them contrast against the black background by adding an outer glow effect using Adobe Photoshop.

Screen shot ten: Institutional Information
The institutional information can be viewed on all three of my texts. This is stereotypical to have the release date and production company on the end of the trailer due to it being vital information for the audience. The release date is also shown on the poster. This is stereotypical and can be seen on a range of film posters such as 'Dorian Gray'. The release date on my poster is located under the billing block. The date is slightly bigger than the billing block due to the date being more important. This is a stereotypical convention due to it still being easily recognisable for the audience without interfering with the main focus of the poster. My magazine is also stereotypical due to the issue number and website being used. This is a small print located under the masthead. This is stereotypical and shows the audience the magazine is reliable. This is similar to the 'Jupiter's Ascending' magazine cover.

Poster (Final)

Final Product

Feedback from first draft:

Positives:

• Billing block
• Title
• Images used

Negatives:

• Add reviews or actors ( more information to break the blank spaces)

I added two reviews at the top of the poster to make it look more interactive and it is relevant information which will intrigue the audience to want to watch the trailer.

Magazine front cover (Final)

Final copy.

Feedback from draft one:

Positives:

• Cohesive colour scheme
• Film reel
• Positioning of additional information (barcode, price etc)

Negatives:

• Masthead - too army style
• remove the speech bubble
• yellow looks odd on the competition badge
• The main image is too high up
• Frame around the black and white image.

After receiving the feedback on my first draft, I then made the changes to create this final product.

I had the black and white image on an angle origionally, but after my feedback I changed the position to make the text fit better. I also made the issue number and website smaller due to it being less important and it made more room to move the exclusive text up.

I wanted to keep the block type font for my maskhead, so I changed the font into something similar. This font I believe is more suitable for a magazine.

However, I then received one last bit of feedback about my magazine. The black and white image did not seem to fit well enough therefore I deleted it and made the text 'Latest Interview With ...' larger and moved it up and I changed the 'Exclusive photos from Unhinged' to 'Hostage' so there was not too much repetition.

First draft of my poster:

I added a black background due to it being a stereotypical colour for a thriller poster - as seen in my research. After my background was sorted, I then added billing information at the bottom of the poster. This is small font due to it being the least important information on the poster. I then added the release date but used a red font to make it noticeable under the billing information. I then added the title of the film which was easy, I wanted it just under half way of the page and big and bold. I then added a tag line and I thought of 'Only One Way Out' this is because it relates perfectly to the film but does not give to much information away about the film.

Placing images were the hardest thing to do. I wanted the images to be big to fill the page but this resulted in me moving the title and tag line in different locations such as at the top of the page.

I placed different images around the page, but couldn't seem to get the outcome I was hoping for. I uploaded an image of the character Glen and placed his left side of his face next to the character Ryans. Unfortunately, this did not work due to the facial proportions being completely different.