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

 

Below is a video of a group discussion that we had talking about all the products we have created including the trailer, poster and magazine fit together effectively. By continuing certain aspects throughout all the products.  

 

 



 As shown above the font for the title is used throughout the products. We thought by using this font throughout the products it would be used as a brand for the film. I believe that the text is effective as it stands out and is unique to our film which is important when creating a brand for a set of products. This is supported by the fact that the target audience feedback it works well as a brand for the film. We decided to use this font as it suits the type of film that we produced as it is fun and light hearted and I believe fits with the doodles effectively. The colour of the font also portrays this as it is bright and colourful so it stands out well on the products and is clear from a distance. I think that the text works well at reinforcing the genre of the film, especially the colour which I think works well at making the title stand out and attract the target audience. It also met the brief as it continues the indie theme which we wanted to be present on all our products which has led to all the products to working well together.

Throughout the project there was a consistent use of the same character. We used the picture of Amie on the magazine and poster and she is also shown throughout the trailer. We chose this character as she would be more liked by the target audience than the other main character as she is the more popular girl which makes her stand out further than the other characters. I believe that this has worked well as it allows the target audience to easily link the film with this character. I also believe by using the picture of Amie on the magazine it has led to the product working as I believe that it brings the design together as the red jumper works effectively with the masthead. Further more as a group believe that we made the right choice picking Amie as her character and personality  stands out more than if we used Aimee as her character is timid so would not portray the film as effectively. We also used similar costumes throughout the products especially the boots which appear in two of the products. Furthermore they were also worn for the magazine picture but they were not included in the photo. However looking back I wished they were included in the picture as it would have reinforced the character further by showing her unique clothing style and the fact that she has a threatening look to her. it would have also allowed the products to combine further with the other products. Another part of her costume which was used in all 3 products was jumpers. I believe it fulfilled the purpose of showing her personality. I believed it also allowed us to show the different personalities she had as the red makes her bold and threatening as the colour portrays danger. However the grey jumper on the poster did not make her stand out as much which allowed both characters to stand out and makes her seem more friendly and approachable. Which I believe led to the poster working as if the red jumper was worn in the poster then I think the poster would not have worked as a well as a whole as the characters would not have balanced.

We included doodles on 2 of the products so it was consistent on the ancillary texts. We repeated one of the cartoons on the magazine as we placed it on the sleeve of Amie's coat to show her personality. This challenges the conventions of magazines as this type of editing is not conventionally used on magazines. However I believe that it works effectively and it was the right decision to added it to the magazine, as it adds another dimension to the magazine cover so it stands out against other covers. It also works as it is a clear indicator of the genre of film that we were creating as it fun and cheeky and portrays the dangerous side of Amie.
The Furthermore the setting of the school has also been used throughout all of the products. We decided on this as we believed it would be the main setting of the film and the target audience can relate to this setting so it is appropriate. I believe that this has works well as it links with the age of the characters and the target audience. However I believe that by using this setting we played safe as it was not challenging in the respect of finding different places to film as we just used what we knew. So if I was to film the trailer again I would have included another setting more challenging with the school and bedrooms, to show more skills.

On reflection I believe the choices which we made on what aspects to keep the same throughout the products has worked effectively as certain aspects of the storyline and characteristics of the personalities to be clear and easily identifiable throughout. Also when I put the products together I believe that they fit well together and can be easily be identifiable as being the same film. Furthermore the ancillary texts support the main product as the high quality of producing each parts was kept the same throughout. Also important aspects in the trailer have been included in the ancillary texts so that they fit with the trailer created.

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

This is the video me and my group created which shows the discussion we had about the ways our media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions, of real media products. This video is effective at showing the point views of all members of the group. It has also allowed us to brainstorm the conventions as a group which has allowed us to reinforce each others thoughts on the project and identify conventions which other members of the groups may not have thought of.

Conventions which we followed are:

•  green certificate
• new line cinema video in trailer
• colour theme
• contrasting characters
• theme of friendship
• image of one person on the cover
• subtitle over magazine title
• layout U shaped conventional
• image over empire logo
• doodles
• posture within characters which shows status
• billing block
• bright colours

Challenges:

•  having the poster landscape
• cartoon on the magazine

Trailer

The green certificate is a convention of a trailer, it occurs at the beginning of every trailer and it indicates that it is appropriate for the audience to view. We looked at British trailers to see if it was conventional for us to have Amercia Inc. as part of the information or if this for American trailers only. After the research we found this was conventional for British film trailers so we kept with the convention and included it as part of it. In evaluation if I had more time I would have liked to have created our own green certificate instead of using copy. This would have made the trailer more professional and it would have looked a higher quality.

The production company is conventionally shown in the trailer, so we included the video of the New Line Cinema into the trailer. By including this video it looks professional and realistic. To begin with we wanted to use the same text as the other text shown in the trailer. However this was not conventional as the video including the logo of New Line Cinema is more common in trailers so we changed it so it fits the conventions of trailers.

The background for text used was pink which is conventional for the age and gender of the target audience. Pink is often used in this genre of comedy/ fantasy teenager and it is conventional for teenage girls. which is why we used the colour in the trailer. However in evaluation if I was to improve this I would change the background of the text so it was a similar colour which is used in the colour theme for the poster and magazine. As this would link the trailer further with the other promotional products.

The setting we used was a school which is conventional for the age of our target audience as it enables the audience to relate to the setting. This is conventional of trailers as settings that are used need to be able to be identified and familiar to the target audience. So we used a school as the age of the target audience which will watch the film are familiar with school as they are still there or have just left. This is so they can relate to the characters and makes situations in the film funny as it supports the genre comedy.

The themes in our trailer are conventional of teenage comedy/fantasy like friendship. It is frequently used in this type of film, so it shows that as a group we wanted to stick to the conventional themes that are often shown in the trailers. It also allows the audience to identify with the theme as they can relate to easily.

Also contrasting characters were used in the trailer as one girl is popular and the other is a normal geeky girl. This means a wider range of the target audience as there is more characters which they can relate to as there is not just one type of person. This encourages a wider audience to watch the film which is why it is conventionally included in trailers. Also it means that it is more likely for the audience to like one of the character and want to know the outcome.  

The music used is conventional teenage comedy/fantasy as it is upbeat, which is what we wanted to create as a group as it is often used in real media products. By using upbeat music it supports the genre of the film because it tells the audience that it is lighthearted and fun. I think we have kept with this convention and has allowed the trailer to be lighthearted and fun like the storyline.

Magazine 

 

We have followed a range of different conventions of magazines to create a professional and realistic looking magazine. The conventions we have followed are: the layout of the magazine as we have followed the U shape layout for the text which is conventional used on magazines as it allows the text to be evenly distributed so that the cover is not busy and it also means that the image on the poster is not covered by text. In evaluation even though some of the text does cover the character I believe that the text follows this convention and is well distributed. Furthermore we have also followed the conventional layout of the magazine Empire by placing the mast head, tag line, price, website, date and bar code in the conventional places. We have followed these conventions so that our magazine looks like a conventional Empire magazine so it can relate to the magazine when looked at. Furthermore we also put the head of the character over 'Empire', this is conventional of popular magazine brands. As not all the word has to be seen for the brand to be identified. We followed this convention as we thought this made the magazine more realistic. In evaluation I think this was done well as the head does not cover too much of the lettering but enough so that it follows this convention. Also as Amie's jumper is red so the masthead stands out links to the photo on the cover. Which is further reenforced by the fact that Amie's blond hair is a light colour so it makes the red of the writing bolder. The target audience also said that they thought that the masthead was clear and could be easily identified as that company. 

The colour theme and fonts of the text follows the conventions of magazines. As we used a range of different fonts but they were all similar so none stuck out more than others on the magazine. We also used one colour theme of yellow, red and black. We found these were conventions when researching magazine covers. We have followed this and I believe that it has made the cover eye-catching and engaging, it also looks professional. The colours and fonts we chose complement the image on the cover, which is why we chose the colours we have. They also complement the brick wall and stand out. However in evaluation the yellow is not clear from a distance so I would make the colour slightly darker so that it was brighter and clearer.  

 

A convention that we challenged was that we included a cartoon image of a skull and cross bone on her coat. I believe this works well on the magazine as the size of it means that it does not stand out and fits well into the layout of the cover. It has allowed the magazine to show the concept of the film as it gives the image a fun and indie feel which we wanted to include. It also fulfils its purpose of showing Amie's personality as it is the conventional sign for danger and warning. When talking to the target audience not many people picked up the fact that we had included the cartoon which as a group we wanted to achieve, which means that I made the right choice in the size and location of the cartoon as we did not want it to overshadow the key concepts on the cover.  

 

In evaluation to make the magazine cover even more conventional I would change the date on the cover as we put the date as January. As this challenges the convention of magazines advertising a summer film as it would have been done in month nearer to the release date.

Poster



There were very little conventions that have to be followed like the other products but the main convention is that there is a billing board on the poster. We have kept this and included all conventional information which is present in the billing block. We also tried to keep it to the same layout so that it looked professional and appropriate for the poster. In evaluation by creating our own billing block it allowed us to personalise the billing block so that it fit with the film we have created. However when creating this we had to keep checking that the billing board was correct for example spelling and the layout, so this was time consuming especially when mistakes were made.

Another convention was that we included doodles on the poster. We found when researching posters that the genre of film we were creating often included doodles on the posters such as 'Angus, thongs and perfect snogging' and 'silver linings.' So we kept this convention as we thought that this supported the storyline of the film and added personality to the poster which would intrigue the target audience into finding out more information about the film.  



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

Below is a video which we created as a group talking about the media technology used and how effective it was.

Research and planning

In the research and planning we used a range of different media technology.
For research we used the Internet to use Google and You Tube to look at magazines, posters and trailers to give us inspiration and to look at the conventions which need to be included in the products to make the products of a high quality. In evaluation for the research part of the project we could have used a wider range of different media products to support our research.
For the planning we used lots of different media technology as we used a camera to experiment with different positions and backgrounds we could use to create the poster and magazine cover. This was helpful as it allowed us to see what went well and what didn't. We also used a scanner to scan the images needed for our animatic storyboard. This allowed the process to be quicker then taking pictures to create the storyboard. This also worked more effectively as the images are clearer and more detail than if a photo was taken of the storyboards. Furthermore by creating the animatic storyboard it allowed us to clearly map out how the trailer would be put together which was important when filming and editing the trailer. The animatic storyboard we created for this project was better than the one I created for As as it included more information and more shots that was going to be used, which allowed us to be more precise when filming. Furthermore I also referred to it more than I did last time and even though the final trailer has slightly changed from what we original planned most of it is the same which shows how planning really helped us to create the trailer.
The software we used in planning was Garage Band as it allowed us to see what music was available on the software to plan the genre of music we wanted to create. It also allowed us to practise using it as we had not used the software before this project, so it was important to research and plan what was available for us to use as it would take a long period of time to create the final music for the trailer. I believe this was effective as it allowed all members to have a go at using the software and allowed us to compare the different music which would be available to us. So that we discuss what fit the storyline we wanted to create most effectively.
We also used final cut for a similar reason as it allowed me to practise certain effects that we wanted to use like the split screen. As originally I did not know how to do this but by practising on final cut before creating it on the final trailer it allowed me to see if it was possible and how to film that section of the film which we wanted split screen. This saved us time as when creating the trailer we already knew the techniques needed to create the effects needed.
We also used Photo Booth during planning to film our conversations, I believe this allowed us to have a record of the ideas that we had spoken of in the last lesson, which saved us time as we did not need to write notes about what was said.

Production

For the production of the products we created, the hardware we used was a camera which allowed us to photograph pictures for the poster and magazine cover. We used a high quality camera so that the pictures that were taken would look professional and high quality for it to be edited ready to be used for the products. When reflecting on the images I believe that by using the high quality cameras it has led the products to be of higher quality. It has also allowed me to develop my skills of using still shots as in As still cameras we used were of a lower quality.
To film the trailer we used a video camera, the video camera was new so it was of high quality and allowed us to zoom effectively without losing the quality of the film. We also used a flip camera to film the voice over as we did not need to use a high quality camera to do this. I believe we made the right choice in using a flip camera as it picked up the sound effectively and the sound could be easily removed from the hardware and transferred onto the computer. Furthermore it was easier to record as we could place the flip camera closer to the person speaking than if we used a video camera.We also used a scanner to scan the doodles for the poster and magazine as we drew the images and then scanned the image on the computer which. Allowed us to upload them onto the computer.
The software I used during production was finale cut as it has a wide range of effects that can be used to create the trailer and the software we have used over the last two years. We did have the option of using iMovie but this software did not have the options that the final cut offers furthermore final cut produces a more high quality and professional film when compared to iMovie. As it allows you to achieve more difficult editing like split screen which as a group we wanted to include.
To create the music for the trailer we used garage band which allowed us to create copyright free music and personalise the music so that it fits the trailer and portrays the atmosphere that as a group we wanted to achieve. However it was time consuming, as it took time to find the right sounds and instruments to include in the music. The music we have produced works effectively and suits the trailer well. In reflection if I used the garage band again I would do things differently as I would decide exactly what type of music I wanted to create before I started to put the sound together, as I believe this would save us time and would allow us to make a piece of music that fits well together. As the original music we created had lots of different sections which did not fit together effectively but worked well separately. However after changing it I believe that the music we used on the trailer fits together well and has the same type of personality throughout.
For the production of the poster and magazine I used Photoshop as it allowed me to easily edit the photo by removing unwanted blemishes on the photo and easily add the doodles, text and other things needed on the products. By doing this with this software it allowed me to have more control of the editing of the products so that they looked exactly like we wanted. It also allowed things to be changed easily if mistakes occurred. furthermore I believe it gives a more professional finish than if I used PowerPoint to create the poster an magazine as I believe this would have limited us on what effects we could add.

Evaluation

For the evaluation we used Photo Booth to create the videos of the evaluation discussions where we reviewed the products we have created. By using Photo Booth it allowed us to evaluate our work in a different format so that our blogger evaluations are more visual. We also used You Tube to upload the video's on to blogger, as the videos we created would not upload when using blogger.

Overall during the project we have tried to use a range of hardware and software to complete all the aspects of the product in an interesting way and to create high quality products. I believe that I have used a larger variety of media technology than I have in other projects which has made my blogger more visual and informative.

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Facebook Audience feedback comments

Poster

Samantha: The poster shows the contrast in characters which supports the plot of the film. The rhetorical question is effective in making the viewer want to watch the film & the black and white doodles make it more appealing for the target audience.

Amelia: I like the way the characters are represented and the fact there is a clear indication of the genre of the film. I also like the rhetorical question making you think will they turn back making you want to view the film to see if they do and also it makes you wonder in what sense does turn back mean? The colours work really well, along with the layout of the billing block, the image and other text on the image. It also hits the target audience immediately, making them feel involved as maybe they can relate to the characters.

Nikita: I think that the animation on the poster looks effective and along with the models pose helps show the two different characters. The names and film title are very eye catching. I also really like the lighting of the photo with it having some shadows!

Molly:  I think that poster shows the clear roles the girls will be playing. The title is eye catching which will get people to stop and reader the poster. The rest of the information is displayed evenly around the poster so it doesn't make the poster look clustered.

What I have learnt from the feedback on the poster

I have learnt from the feedback that the poster we have created works effectively as two girls have said that the rhetorical question is effective at making the audience want to see the film. Which is the purpose of the poster so it proves that the tagline we chose to use works effectively at drawing the target audience into seeing the film. Another important feedback was that she thought the genre was clear from characters. This shows that the mise-en-scene used to create the personality of the characters has worked effectively. The feedback also touched on how the audience can relate to the characters, this shows that the characters we have created are realistic. Which means that the stereotypical characters we have tried to create have worked effectively and are suitable for the genre and target audience we wanted. I was worried that the target audience may find the poster busy but I was reassured by some of the feedback as they thought it was evenly displayed and not cluttered. This means that I was wrong and I had evenly distributed the information correctly.

From this feedback we have had no negative feedback which shows that all aspects of the poster have worked effectively together.

Magazine

Samantha: I think the yellow "mix up" stands out more than the title of the magazine but the colour combinations look good. It previews the content of the magazine and the information is set out in a way which doesn't look too overcrowded.

Molly: I think that the magazine is set like any top selling magazine. I like how the colour scheme is the same which stops there from being lots of colours on one page. All the information has been included in a way which is easy for the reader to read and as the model is the centre of attention which help shows the reader what that weeks magazine is about!!

Emma: I think it draws attention the yellow mix up sign stands out the most which I think is good because its the main feature in the magazine.

Katie: Overall I think that you have done a really good job and the bright colours are clearly addressing your young target audience. The Magazine cover does not look bare or crowded and you have stuck to the convention of the individual staying in character. One thing I would say though is the headline at the top says "Who knows if THEY will change back?" implying there are two central characters, but there is only one character on the front of the magazine, is this on purpose? Anyways well done, its looks very good!!

Martin: Looks really professional, well done. I'm wondering what Amie Hartland has to say in her interview, how about a "quote" that makes you want to read more.

What I have learnt from the feedback on the poster

Over all the feedback from Facebook was positive as the target audience liked the colour combination and that it addresses the target audience. Which means that the colour combination we decided to use was appropriate and works effectively in attracting the readers to the magazine. They also commented on the layout saying we have kept to the conventions and it is not too busy. This shows that the layout of the text is effective and the way we displayed the text around the image has worked effectively.
The title of the film on the magazine had mixed reviews as Samantha thought that the yellow of "Mix Up" stood out too much against the title of the magazine. Whereas Emma thought that 'Mix Up' standing out the most is good because it is the main feature. As a group we wanted the 'Mix Up' to stand out because that is the main article and this is going to attract the attention of the target audience to buy the magazine. I think we have achieved this but from the feedback if I was going to change the text 'Mix Up' I may have made it smaller so that it is not as bold on the cover as it would be smaller and less noticeable. An improvement suggested was that there could have been quote of what Amie was saying in the article, this is a good suggestion and if I was going to improve the poster I would definitely include this as it encourage people to want to read the article. From evaluating the text we have not included a quote which is a convention of magazine articles which means that there are not a mix of different wordings. Another comment is that we put "who knows if they will change back" but this does not fit with the magazine cover as there is only one central character on the magazine. We did this on purpose as by saying 'they' it makes the target audience wonder who is the other person involved so it intrigues the reader in to reading more.  

Trailer

Amelia: I feel as if you've met your target audience well and it makes me want to watch more. I can see similarities to other trailer conventions of this genre, the music also works well. I would say I'd want to see a bit more of the characters sides before they switch out of interest so I feel as if I know more about the character. I think the way you've used the voice over when the two girls switched works really well showing good match on action.

Nikita: The music you have chosen goes really well with the type of film and stops at good places in the trailer, just how professional film trailers do. The use of slow motion when the two enemies meet for the first time is effective as it shows off their different characters and how the mean one is dominant and controlling. The writing moving looks really effective and is done well. It also has some comedy in it which makes the audience laugh and want to watch the film. Overall I think its really good and looks professional!!
 

Molly: I think that the advert shows the audience well what the movie is about!! I think that the trailer looks professional and really well put together. The way the two characters are portrayed is really well shown with the slow motion adding affect when they meet for the first time. All the information is well presented and the music over the trailer works well and fits well with the video.

What I have learnt from the feedback on the trailer

The feedback for the trailer was positive as most people commented on how from the trailer they would want to watch the film. Which means that we have advertised the film effectively and have included enough of the storyline to entice them into wanting to watch more. They also committed on how we have kept to conventions of the genre and meets the target audience which means that the trailer we have created has all of the key conventions present and the storyline and production of the trailer is suitable for the target audience we wanted. Furthermore some of them said that they found it funny which means that the storyline we have created fits the genre of comedy.
The music and voiceover was also commented on saying that it works well with the trailer. This shows that the music we have created works well with the trailer and is professional which is what we wanted the music to be. We also wanted the music to fit the genre of music and support the storyline which I think we have achieved as like what is said in the feedback, the music stops and starts and fits well with the atmosphere of the different storylines. The voice overs were said to work well and match the action of the girls however if I was going to make improvements of the trailer I would change the voiceovers as there is an echo and doesn't sound of high quality. However by the target audience not picking this up proves that it is not noticeable and the sound can still be clearly heard.
The slow motion shots were liked by the target audience as they believed they show the different characters personalities clearly, this was the reason that we decided to use slow motion which means that the effect we wanted to create has worked effectively.
The only improvement suggested was that she wanted to see more of the characters before they swapped. As a group we decided to introduce the characters as we did not want to give too much of the plot of the story away. So we have just shown the main characteristics of their personalities so that their personalities could grow through the film. Furthermore we also wanted to keep with the convention of trailers by keeping to the length of it around 2 minutes. By adding more to this section would cause the trailer to go over this time limit.

Feedback from Questionnaire

From the questionnaire we have found out that the most popular media product we have created was the poster as for 4 questions out of 5 the target audience said yes that they agreed with the statement. However for the first question on the poster 2 of the target audience said no to 'does our final poster meet the conventions of a typical film poster'. The reason for this was that one said that the billing block needs improvement which has been corrected since the questionnaire was answered. This shows that we took the feedback on board and changed the poster as she pointed out a mistake we had made which would have made the poster not of higher quality. The other issue was the light on Amie's face as they thought this looked unprofessional. However as a group we had intended for this to happen as we believed it showed Amie's character had a bad side and a good side which was shown in the different sections of light on her. Furthermore I believe that the light does not affect the quality of the picture as Amie's face was still clear. From the questionnaire it shows that the poster we have created does fit the target audience which looks professional and appropriate as it fits the trailer we have created.
 

The results from the questionnaire for the magazine was that 2 of the statements everyone agreed with was that the picture was of high quality and that we had use a range of fonts that worked effectively. As a group we wanted the picture to be of high quality so we used natural light and a setting that was easily identifiable. Furthermore we also used a high quality camera to also ensure that the quality of the image was adequate. For the other statements one person did not agree. Question 1 is about if they think that the covers is conventional and they said no because of the date. So if I was to improve this I would change the date so that it was more appropriate. For question 3 we asked if this type of photo would appear on the magazine, the person said no as they believed that the girls needed to be in character more. However I disagree with this as I believe they are in character and their personalities are clearly shown in by their posture and costume. Furthermore the costumes worn for the photo were similar to the clothing worn in the trailer so we have as a group kept the girls in character. For question 5 a person said that the colours used was not effective as the yellow could not be clearly seen. I agree with this feedback and if I was to make improvements to the cover I would change the colour so that the yellow was darker so it does not blend as much into the brick wall. Over all the feedback given has given us improvements which would make the magazine of higher quality, but a high percentage of the target audience liked the magazine cover and thought it was effective.

The results from the questionaire for the trailer were mixed as for 2 questions the target audience agreed to the statements. Which was that the target audience would want to see the film in the cinema which means that we have targeted the trailer to the audience. The other question was that the music suited the genre of the film. Which means that the music we created is of high quality and works well with the trailer. For the other questions there was a mixed response as for question 1 the we asked if they thought we used a range of shots and 1 person disagreed. Saying that there as a lot of mid shots but enough shots was used to make it interesting. However as a group we did this intentionally as mid shots are conventionally used in this genre of film. We also wanted to use Mid shots as we wanted to show the reaction of the characters clearly as they were the main focus during the trailer. For question 2 we asked is the storyline clear throughout the trailer 2 people disagreed. As they thought that the beginning of the trailer was unclear but it became clearer as the trailer went on. So from this I think we could have improved the beginning of the trailer so that it was clearer by adding a voiceover to reinforce what was being shown. However by having the storyline unclear to begin with can be beneficial as it could encourage you to want to watch more and go to see the film to answer the questions they may have. For question 5 someone suggested that the some of the lighting was too dark however when creating the trailer we made sure that all the lighting is natural and is effective. As a group we thought we achieved this so from this feedback as an improvement for next time I will try using back lighting as well when needed to add even more light when needed. Overall the feedback for the trailer has allowed me to see the improvements that are needed to further develop the trailer we have created.

From the feedback I have learnt that audience feedback can be useful as it allowed me to see what works effectively and what improvements could be made. By doing the feedback throughout the production of the media products it has allowed us to make sure that the products fit the genre and target audience. It also allowed us to see any improvements that needed to be made for the products to be of high quality.

Progression from As to A2

As film opening 

A2 preliminary task music video

Above are the products that i have created over the 2 years to show how i have progressed over the 2 years.

My skills on finale cut express from As to A2 has developed as in As I only used simple transitions such as cross dissolve and fades we also used very few effects. Since then I have developed my skills as I can now use green screen which I can use for a film or for still images. I also know how to create split screens as we included one in the trailer where Aimee and Amie to show both reactions. I used slow motion in the music video and the trailer. Furthermore I also used different transitions to add different effects to the trailer and post production. By using a wider range of practical skills in the trailer it has made it look more effective, unique and professional.

Other practical skills I have developed is use of shots as I have learnt to use a range of different shots instead of the simple type of shots. In As we used a range of unique shots such as extreme close ups as we created a film opening for a thriller. However in the trailer we have used less shots like this because of the genre of the film. This shows I have developed my skills as it shows that I try to keep with the conventions of the genre and I know what shots are appropriate for what we are filming as we planned before filming instead of just trying to use a range of shots. Furthermore another progression from As to A2 is the way in A2 we learnt to take a range of different shots and different angles instead of just filming it once. This allowed us to have options when editing as it allowed us to chose the one that was most appropriate it also meant that we did not have to re-film things as there was other shots we could use.

There has also been a progression from As to A2 in the software and hardware I have used. As in As the quality of filming was poor however in A2 we got new cameras which has made the picture of our filming to be more clearer and more professional. However, I would have developed my skills further by using different hardware to support the filming such as tripods and focus pull which would allow me to challenge myself by trying different shots. In my A2 project I have used different software such as Garage Band and Photoshop as well as finale cut express which I have used through out the 2 years. By using Garage Band it has allowed us to create our own music to fit the trailer which is progression as in the AS film opening we used royalty free music from the internet, which has allowed me to learn how to make all aspects of the trailer, however I would like to develop my skills further on garage band as I believe I could still learn more to create music of a higher quality. In this project I have also developed my skills further in Photoshop as we used the software to create poster and magazine I had used this software in other lessons but by using it in media it has allowed me to develop my skills in creating a product on this type of software.

Another progression from As to A2 is the use of research as in A2 we did a high amount of research for the 3 products we were creating. This allowed us to use more conventions in the products so that they look more professional whereas in As we did not use many conventions. Also I have also developed what I have put on blogger as I have used a variety of images such as print screens and photos to show what I was doing in lesson and how the products we were creating were being created. I have also filmed discussions, putting make-up on the actresses and how we developed the music, this has allowed my blogger to become more visual in the way I was evaluating and analysing.

In conclusion I believe I have progressed from As and A2 as I have developed my skills in every aspect of my coursework so that the A2 project is of a higher quality and looks more professional. As I believe I have learnt from my As and have improved on the weaknesses to make my coursework stronger.

Media theories

I think that a theory that can be linked to the trailer is 'uses and gratifications' as the audience can take what they want to believe and forget other parts. From the film the audience can take information on how they should lead their lives like how you should treat other people and how people should balance their lives between having fun and working hard. However you can forget some parts of the film which is not useful like the fantasy storyline as it is not realistic.

Another theory is Todorov as the narrative structure has a pattern of equilibrium as at the beginning of the narrative everything is at equilibrium as both characters lives a normal and stable. Then there is disequilibrium as they change bodies which is a problem as they can't go about their normal lives. However at the end they reach new equilibrium as when they change back their lives are altered as they are better people from the experience.

The theory that could be applied to the characters is Strauss binary opposites. As the two main characters have opposite personalities as Jess is the popular girl who drinks, socialises and gets poor grades. Whereas Eden is a normal girl/geek who is smart, gets good grades and is a loner. Furthermore other opposites in the trailer are good and bad as Jess is shown as being bad as she bullies Eden who is shown as being good.

Audience Feedback Trailer

Above is the trailer which we produced for Mix up. I think that the storyline of the story is clear throughout as when talking to the target audience they could clearly distinguish what the film was about when asked. They especially liked the text during the trailer as they thought it was fun and interesting as it clearly showed what genre of film it was going to be and the audience it was suitable for. 

The target audience also thought that the music fitted the trailer as I put the trailer on Facebook to get feedback from the target audience. 13 people liked the video and 11 of them was the targeted target audience as they were the target age and gender. This shows that it was appealing to the target audience and we have created a storyline which is suitable for the correct age and gender.

Audience feedback

"Narrative is clear and I love the storyline"

"The characters seem likable and can be related to, because of their age and the setting of the school"

"Narrative in some places can be unclear maybe add voice over"

"The text used is fun and vibrant it clearly shows the genre"

"I love the title at the end of the film it is cleverly created so it is fun and interesting by incorporating the storyline"

magazine changes and feedback

After finishing the trailer we looked back at the poster and realised there was a few things we wanted to change. The changes are:

1. We wanted to add a skull to her jacket which was on the poster as this linked the poster and magazine together and also added personality of Amie as she is shown as having a bad behaviour and also represents how she acts towards other people. I think that this has worked effectively as it blends well in to the coat so that it does not look out of place. 
2. We also changed some of the text, as it originally said ‘see inside for exclusive interviews with all the stars’. This did not make sense with the other text on the magazine as it had already said that there was a special interview with a star from Mix up. We then included a different film so that it was advertising a different article about the film Queensdown Warren.

Audience Feedback

"The colour theme used for the text works well however the yellow is not clear from a distance. I also like the use of different fonts"

"The image used works well as Amie is in character and her personality can be clearly seen, the background also works as it is not busy"

Improvements:

"Change the date of the magazine cover, so that is more up date with your project"

New Line Cinima and Green Screen

 

The New Line Cinema is the production and distribution company which is going to be shown at the beginning of the trailer. At first we decided to create New Line Cinema in the same font and format as the other text in the trailer. However this is not conventional of trailers as New Line Cinema has its own video which is shown at the beginning of trailers so we downloaded it from You Tube and edited the length of the video to remove the parts of the video which was not needed.

We have also included the green screen which is conventionally placed at the beginning of the trailer. It is the license which tells the audience that the trailer is appropriate and has been approved  to be shown to an audience. If there is an age restriction to the trailer this would also be shown on this. We again decided to use a video with this on as it would be time consuming to create this ourselves and would not look as professional.

Music video

Below is a video showing the music that we have created on Garage Band. We did this so that the music was copyright free and it allowed us to personalise the music. As the music we have created changes to fit the situation in the trailer to create the right atmosphere.   

We edited the music by playing the music with the trailer to match the length of certain sections with the trailer. This is so the music is cut and started when we wanted, this took a long time as we had check that the timing was correct multiple times to make sure that things do not overlap. We also edited the volume of the music throughout, so that during dialogue the music is quieter than when there is no dialogue. The volume was also edited at the end of the music so that it fades away instead of a harsh cut as we thought that this was more appropriate.

Using Garage Band

I learnt a range of different skills from using Garage Band, but to begin with I found it difficult to use as it took a long time to find the loops which we wanted to include in the trailer. As the music had to fit with the trailer and be the same genre of music through out. As we did not want the music to jump from different instruments like from drums to piano, so we tried to link the instruments together which similar and appropriate. Some of the loops we decided to use are shown on the left.
 As a group we did consider using vocals but we found that were not suitable as they did not fit the storyline and did not sound appropriate with that section of the music. We also used FX loops which are work/ home sound effects which links the music and the trailer together. Also the sound effects were needed to reinforce the setting of the trailer, as at the beginning we use a school bell to set the setting of the school.
I enjoyed using Garage Band as it allowed us to create our own music which would fit the trailer perfectly as sometimes when using copyrighted music it does not always fit with the trailer or you have to change the trailer to fit the music. So by creating our own it allowed us to be flexible and choose where we wanted the music to change and control over the type of music.

Final products

These are the final products that we have chosen to use to make the promotional package for Mix Up 

Magazine

The magazine follows the conventional layout of a magazine as it has the u shape of the text around the picture. In evaluation I like the text we have used as we have used a range of different fonts that fit well together and can be clearly seen. I also like the colour scheme as it fits well with what Amie is wearing and the traditional colour of the title Empire. However the yellow does not stand out as much as the other colours so I would have changed this colour so that it would be clearer to see.  I like the photo that has been used as it looks professional and shows her as if she is in a scene of the film which is an important convention of a film poster which I think we have kept. I think the personality of her character is also clearly shown in her posture, clothing, makeup and the drawing I added.  I believe we have also kept the conventions of Empire by keeping the top of the magazine like it is on the real Empire magazines. As we have put the masthead, tagline, price, website, date and issue number in the same place as on a Empire magazine. However as an improvement I would change the date on the magazine as it says January but the film comes out in the summer so it would not be in the magazine at this time so the two dates do not match up.

Poster 

The poster we have created I think works effectively for the genre of film we created. As the photo we have taken looks professional and clearly shows the personality of the characters. We used the natural light to create the photo which is why the sun is covering some of Amie's face, but this is intentional as it gives the impression of her being a bad girl as it makes her look menacing. It could also show that she is bad as half her face is dark but she has got good in her which is shown by the brighter side of her face. Also the position and posture of the characters also shows their personalities as Aimee is sitting properly on the bench in hunched manner which shows that she is a good girl but she is nervous around Amie. Whereas Amie sitting in a confident manner which shows that she does not care what people think of her. The cartoons/ drawings added to the poster shows aspects of the film in simple drawings and also creates the indie design that we wished to portray. The text used on the poster works well as the fonts are similar and works well with the cartoons as the text is also cartoon like and creates a 3D feel to the poster which makes it look unique.



Trailer 

I believe that the trailer shows the storyline clearly and introduces the main points of the film to intrigue the target audience to want to watch the film. I believe the right amount of the film has been shown. The trailer we have created uses a range of different shots which were appropriate for the part of the storyline we were filming. For example when Aimee was screaming we wanted to make the audience feel uneasy so we used a canted angle to create this. The text we have used also looks effective and unique as the text moves around and by choosing the colours we used it also fits the target audience. The music we have created works well with the trailer, as the music is upbeat and fun which fits the genre teenage comedy. Unfortunately the video is not good quality as the Mov file which shows the film in a higher quality file does not upload to the blogger so the quality of the film is not shown on the blog.

Audience Feedback poster

After getting feedback from the target audience we made some changes to the poster. The target audience liked the photo used as they thought the image was of good quality and clearly showed the personalities of both characters. Furthermore they also liked the use of cartoons on the poster as they believed it added character and personality to the poster. We then made little changes that they suggested.

1) On the original poster the tagline was ‘who knows if they will ever change back’, but they thought

it could be worded differently so we changed the wording to ‘will they ever change back?’

2) One of the target audience committed on how some of the wing was covered so it made it

unclear of what it was. So I twisted the text and arrow and I enlarged the wings so it was clearer so

it fit around the text.

3) We also changed the wording of the names as originally it said ‘staring…’ but this is not

conventional of posters so we changed it so it was just the names which is more stereotypical. 

4) The billing board was also changed to make the wording more conventional as we changed

names and added other production names. Further more we also made the text larger so it was

clearer on the poster.

5) We also added the symbol for the age restriction. We decided on 12A  as the certificate as the

target audience was teenagers and young adults 12- 25. So this certificate means that  it can contain

strong language, sex reference, violence and soft drugs which are themes that could be referenced

to in the film. However after adding this we then removed the symbol as it is not conventional of posters, as after researching different posters we did not find any that displayed this information. 

Audience feedback

"The drawings on the poster are creative and unique"
"The personalities of the characters are clear especially with the use of the devil horns and halo"
"I would have liked the New Line Cinema logo to be bigger so it can be more clearly seen"

"The photos look of high quality which makes the poster seem professional"