Evaluation - Question 4

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

Evaluation - Question 3

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Evaluation - Question 2

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

Evaluation - Question 1 - Film Magazine Cover

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

Film Magazine Cover

Evaluation - Question 1 - Film Poster

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

Film Poster



This PowerPoint analysis also covers my influences, explaining what conventions I followed and my justifications for doing so.

Enclosed - Film Poster Analysis from harrevs

Evaluation - Question 1 - Film Trailer

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

Film Trailer

Enclosed Trailer - Focus Group Feedback

As part of our audience feedback, we asked our target audience to watch our official completed film trailer and answer a questionnaire we produced for them. We asked a total of 9 people during this survey, whom did not have to disclose their identities so it would be a confidential survey, but were only asked for their gender and age. These are their answers.

Question 1:

Please list 5 shots/scenes that were the most memorable.

Answers	Tally
Rape scene	9
Gas mask/table card scene	3
Boy reacting violently scene	7
The hanging scene	9
Doctor argument scene	1
Train scene	4
Patient "Shhhh" scene	1
Knife to man's throat scene	5
Baby in bucket scene	1
Establishing shot	3
Blood in sink	2

Altogether, out of the entire trailer, 10 scenes were most recognisable for our target audience. It is clear to see from these scenes that they are all dramatic which would've caused the impact on the audience to stand out to them as the most memorable scenes. The hanging scene was the most memorable scene, which was near the end within the montage, and right at the end before the credits. This could have been due to the explicitly hanging man, and the assumable "innocent" soundtrack in this scene which is a significant contrast between sound and picture, making it extremely creepy. 

Question 2:

How did the trailer make you feel, both physically and emotionally? 

As evident from the answers, they're all positive responses to the film trailer as it is a psychological thriller. It shows that it stands out, and doesn't make the audience "happy" or "careless", and shows it reaches the target audience well.There are both physical and emotional responses to their feelings, and "intrigued" and "on edge of seat" were the most popular responses, which was a great response. There were even responses of the audience feeling "sick" and "distressed" showing that the film trailer made them feel physically rather than just emotionally.

Question 3:

Please give your interpretation of the plot synopsis, and the genre that you think was represented?

1)      Girl raped, baby given to father to turns him into a patient within the mental asylum, when a doctor arrives and helps the patient.

2)      Mental asylum, patients go off the ropes, causing distress to the owner. The baby was possibly brought up in the asylum?

3)      Based in an asylum, mental patients, and abnormal happenings.

4)      Asylum, story based on the young boy.

5)      Mental institute, patients are abused and everything starts getting out of control, whilst trying to reconnect the mother with her son who is the patient.

6)      A nurse is raped by an unknown individual, who then becomes pregnant. Too ashamed about the whole situation, the child then stays in the mental asylum where he is brought up and becomes mental.

7)      Rape in mental hospital results in a baby being given up and raised as a patient.

8)      Mental institute set in the past.

9)      The nurse was raped and her baby grew up in the mental asylum. The baby was not treated very well and had a mental breakdown.

This proved our product successful, as every response we had showed that the audience had understood our trailer's narrative, and had an idea of what was going on, and was not confused or misunderstood.

Question 4:

Would you be interested in seeing the full feature? Please give your reasons why or why not.

Intriguing	2
Gripping	2
Interesting	2
Scary	1
Want to know what happens at the end	2

These responses were very positive for our film trailer product from our target audience, as our target audience proved it was the right choice and they all wanted to see it. This means that our film trailer had gripped the target audience's enough that they would want to see the full feature film, meaning it was successful.

Question 5:

What age group you think our trailer is aimed at? Please give reasons for your answer.

Rape scene

Distressing images

Violence

Torture

Mental patients

Disturbing

Too complex and scary for younger audience

Characters represent the age target

Directed to men because of aggressive nature, directed to females through the plot

Murder

These answers show that 1/3 of our audience thought that it would be a suitable production for 15+ year olds. However, 2/3 of our audience agreed that it would be most suitable for 18+ year olds. The target audience agreed that it would be too complex and scary for a younger audience, and that there were very sensitive scenes such as the rape scene, and a continuity of violence and torture within a mental asylum. One target audience member also agreed that it would be directed towards both males and females, because of the aggressive nature that would appeal to males due to a lot of action being involved, and females because of the narrative, as there is a lot of nurturing and maternal nature within the film. 

Question 6:

How well do you think our trailer compares with real existing film trailers? Please tell us the reasons for your opinion.

1)      It is similar to real horror film trailers and is set up well to look like a real trailer.

2)      Well because it grips the audience.

3)      It had a good, gripping atmosphere but the acting could have been better.

4)      I think it sums up to a real existing trailer. The trailer pointed out some of the main features from the film, just like the real trailer. The trailer is also intriguing just like real life trailers.

5)      It had a good atmosphere, thrilling, keeps you on the edge of your seat, interesting, a bit too long but very informative. Good use of music.

6)      I think this trailer is unique compared to others but would fit in with existing trailers. It is a really good trailer including good transitions/soundtrack.

7)      It was very good. Provided the necessary information for the audience to understand the plot but not enough to give away all the details before watching the whole film.

8)      I think it was really good because like professional trailers it built up the suspect well throughout. I think the atmosphere it created was brilliant.

9)      A bit muddled up at times and needed some fuller explanation, however left me wanting to see more which is more than can be said for most current trailers. 

These responses showed that the majority of people agreed that it would compare well with real existing film trailers, and pointed out parts of the film trailer which could have been improved. This has helped myself and my group to understand how we could've improved it which will help us in the future, as we were grateful for both criticism and positive comments.

This is an example of our survey and target audience member's responses:

This is our audience's reaction to the film trailer. At first it is clear they are having nervous laughs and smirking, but throughout it are gripped and at the end they are truly scared and feel unsettled through what they have just seen.

Enclosed - Finished Trailer

Here is our finished group trailer of our original film, 'Enclosed.'

FRAME Magazine - Final Version

  This is the finished version of my film magazine cover. I added an extra cover line, which lists the reviewed films in the issue. I also added the price, date of issue and issue number in the 'M' of the masthead, as well as the magazine website just below the masthead. This adds to the illusion of a real magazine cover, and I am content with the design, and although there is a gap on the left hand side of the page, I think that filling it would traffic the composition of the cover.

FRAME Magazine - Second Draft

  I have made quite a bit of progress with my film magazine cover. I added the main cover line, which reads, "Bound by God: ENCLOSED: Inside the Asylum," which was inspired by the Shutter Island Total Film issue that I analysed. The font I used is called Trajan Pro, which I also used for my film poster. 

  I then added the "Plus," section at the bottom of the page, common on film magazine covers. As it is a horror special, I did some research into upcoming horror films, which I listed here.

  The bar code is the other feature I added, which although simple, I find it makes the cover look more legitimate.

FRAME Magazine - First Draft

  Here is the progress of my refined magazine cover. I slightly changed my main image by editing the colour in PhotoShop, making it more pale and horror genre - looking. I kept the font of the masthead the same, but changed the colour to red, inspired by EMPIRE Magazine but also to reflect the horror theme of the issue.

  I added a banner line to the cover, as I have found it extremely common on film magazine covers, and adds a professional look. The banner line reads, "Horror Special! Frame looks back at the top 100 horrors of all time." This was inspired by the Total Film issue (Shutter Island) that I analysed and am using as inspiration, but also runs with the horror theme for the October issue.

Changes to my Film Magazine - CRITIC

  After showing my progress to my film magazine cover to a few people, I did not receive much positive feedback about the masthead, "CRITIC," and was told that it was too pretentious. Therefore, I have made the decision to change it to, "FRAME," as it has clear connotations to film, and carries the idea of something being 'in the moment,' which is also part of the reason for a film magazine - updating the reader of the latest releases.

CRITIC - Film Magazine

  After doing some research into film magazine covers, as well as carrying my knowledge from last year's studies, I have begun production of my film magazine cover, which will promote our film, 'Enclosed.'
  Here is an image of my progress so far:

  Whilst researching, I found that most film magazine covers feature at least one character from the film it is promoting, and as the issue that I am using as inspiration features one person, I have decided to do the same. I chose to feature our character of Cecilia, who is the victim of rape in a mental asylum where she works as a nurse, and after the attack is sent to a nunnery to have the baby. I found her to be a prominent character, and thought that she symbolises the film. 

  I played with the tagline from my film poster, "Bound by the blood of the Father," and carried it over to the magazine cover, as I planned my main cover line to be, "Bound by blood… Bound by God." This again emphasises the plot of our film, but I thought this shorter version would work better on a magazine cover, as "blood," would be associated with the horror genre, and "God," clearly represents the religious-horror theme.

  I wanted my main image to be as stylistic as possible, and wanted to play with the idea of merging the cover line and the main image. Therefore, I wrote part of the line on the character's face, as the meaning is part of the character. I also drew crosses on her eye lids, which represents the idea that she is blinded by religion, which she is in the plot.

  I could not use a background that was too busy as the overlaying text would 

be hard to read. Therefore I used the same background as my poster, because it is still interesting and represents our film, but is also not too distracting.

  I decided to name the magazine, 'CRITIC,' as it is the purpose of the film magazine - to inform the public of films, reviewing them and advising the audience with 'our' opinions. The font is similar to the font of our film title, and the positioned it to fit the width of the page.

Enclosed - Final Version of the Film Poster

I recently conducted a focus group where I had about 8 people, whom I revealed my film poster, before giving a presentation of my design decisions. Here is the PowerPoint presentation that I showcased to my focus group, which features various decision, a breakdown analysis of my poster as well as a few comparisons with existing film posters.




  After my presentation, I received some very helpful constructive criticism, which helped me to make those final decisions in order to achieve the best mark. Some points raised were:
- The date of release does not suit.
- The tagline, "Bound by the blood of the Father," works, but the white fades in the with main imagine, decaying its impact.
- The colour of the person's skin behind the keyhole is too healthy-looking, which does      not reinforce the genre or the idea I am trying to portray.

  I therefore made the changes to my poster that were suggested, and I am not happy that it is the best it can be, and I have reached the point of completion. Here is a full view of my finished poster.

  The first thing I changed was the skin tone of the main image. I was unfortunately restricted with how much editing I could do, however I did manage to make it a few shades lighter, which adds to the effect, in my opinion.

  I then made the changes to my tagline. I found that the words, bound, blood and Father all stood out in white, and it was the other phrases, 'by the,' and, 'of the,' that fell fell into the cracks of the main image. Therefore, I went with the focus group suggestion, and changed these specific words to a blood red, the same colour as the film title. This not only makes the tagline more prominent, but also reinforces the films genre. I also added a shadow to the tagline, which also makes it more defined and easy to read.

  

  I also changed the date of release to October. This felt like an obvious decision, as it aligns with the Halloween season - a popular time for psychological horrors.

  Overall, I am fond of the final film poster. I tried to add as many codes and conventions as possible, and thanks to conducting a focus group and extensive research, I think that the poster is the best it could be.

Enclosed - Film Poster Draft #3

I've added quite a bit more detail to my poster, and I am content with it, however before I finalise the product I will need to conduct a focus group.

  The main feature that I added to the poster, which in my opinion makes it look professional, is the billing block. I anticipated that this would be quite a quick task, however it took me the best part of two hours to complete.The main reason for this was because of resizing and positioning, however the time I spent was definitely worth it. I am very happy with the final outcome. I based my billing block on the one featured on the Shutter Island poster that I previously analysed. 

  I also added the month of release - December. There was no specific reason for choosing this date, it just happened to be the same as the date on the Black Swan poster that I referred to. I coloured this in red in order for it to stand out from the billing block, as I didn't want it to blend in as one. I have also found that it is usually separate in other, real existing posters.

  Another, common and vital feature that I added was the movie website. I decided to go for, "www.enclosedmovie.com," as I have found this combination to be conventional.

  I also added the Facebook and Twitter logos, with the hashtag, "#ENCLOSED." This is becoming more and more common with growth of social networking and the younger generation.

  The final few features that I added to the poster were the film company logos, and other conventional symbols, including Dolby Digital and SDDS. I find that these complete the poster, adding to it's professional look, making it appear more legitimate and less amateur.

Enclosed - Film Poster Draft #2

  This is the second draft of my film poster. As you can see, I have made quite a bit of progress. I added the film title, conventionally in red, symbolising the horror genre, and also in a font inspired by The Nightmare on Elm Street, that in my opinion, is a clearly defining horror font.

  I also added two actor's names, conventionally above the title of the film. Although this isn't always seen on horror film posters, the existing texts that I was referring to for inspiration and design ideas featured cast names, and so therefore I did the same. I used that same font as the title (Trajan Pro), but made the text white, as I feared if red, it would blend in with the title/confuse the audience. I added a name either side of the keyhole as I feel that symmetry is important in a film poster.

  I then added my tagline to my poster. It took lots of brainstorming, but once thought of, I knew that I couldn't use anything else. I wanted the phrase to incorporate all of the different aspects/themes of our storyline, and decided that 'bound' was a word that describes the enclosed characters in our film perfectly. The tagline in full reads, "Bound by the Blood of the Father." This refers to all of the characters being 'bound' in some way, and the reference to blood not only reinforces the genre, but also carries the relation between some of the characters (Cecilia and her Father - the head of the asylum). 'Father,' also has a double meaning. It obviously suggests the Head of the Asylum in the film, the Father of Cecilia, whom brings up Sean as a patient in the institution. However, it also includes the idea of God, and the Father's Catholic beliefs, that he uses to run the mental asylum. 

  I wanted the tagline to fit in one line, and I also wanted the three words, bound, blood and Father to be emphasised. I therefore elongated the text, and doubled up the connective words between the three, most important words.

'Enclosed' - Film Poster

I thought long and hard about the design of my film poster. I wanted an image that had multiple meanings, and that asked lots of questions, without giving too much of the plot away. I also wanted a clever tagline. My main sources for inspiration were the Black Swan and Shutter Island posters.

  This is my progress so far (the main image). For me, when I thought of the film's title, 'Enclosed,' I immediately thought of a keyhole, and the sense of being 'locked in.' The eye through the keyhole idea was also used for our storyboard, inspired by the shot in the film, 'Sucker Punch.' The person that the eye belongs to is meant to be unknown, which leaves the audience questioning. I also wanted a poignant expression, and therefore put soap in my eye to create a 'teared up'-looking effect, which I think works well with the idea that I am trying to portray - that the person behind the keyhole is being contained/enclosed against their will.

  I also painted a cross underneath my eye to create a burn effect. This represents the religious theme in our plot, and as the eye behind the keyhole is unknown, potentially belonging to any of the characters in the film, it suggests that the characters are branded by religion.

  I took the photograph of the door at Patricio church, which is about a 10 minute drive from Abergavenny. It was an extremely atmospheric church, and I feel the wooden door with the rusted details adds to the horror genre. I then removed the keyhole, before layering it on top of the photo of my eye using Adobe Photoshop.

EMPIRE Magazine Cover Analysis - March 2001

Total Film - October 2009 Magazine Cover Analysis

I found a magazine cover that is perfect to use as a source for inspiration, and I therefore decided to analyse it in detail through a PowerPoint presentation.

Empire - 'Man of Steel' Cover Analysis

  After producing a magazine for last years course, I have quite a bit of background knowledge of the codes and conventions of magazine covers, purely because of the extensive research that I undertook last year. However I am going to briefly look at a few film magazines as last years project was music magazines, and I am interested to see if there are many differences.
  Recently, superhero movies have dominated the film industry. This issue of film magazine Empire features a main story about Zack Snyder's latest creation, 'Man of Steel,' the newest Superman movie.
  This cover would appeal to a mainstream audience, with superhero movies becoming the latest hype. Therefore, most cinephiles would be interested, along with comic book fans. The main image of Henry Cavill as the 'new' Superman promotes the new adaptation and generation, and his classic style would attract fans of the comic book series. His stance emphasises the typical, alpha-male, superhero physique, clearly identifying the genre but perhaps also targeting the female audience (some of which may be comic book fans or others may like looking at him).

  The main Empire masthead is striking. It is in upper case, conventional with other magazines, and the bold red colour not only acts as a trademark for the magazine but also emphasises the title, making it more eye-catching. This style font also appears to be popular within film magazines, which I will keep in mind when creating my own.

  The main tagline, "Man of Steel - Superman gets The Dark Knight treatment," references the film title, which is also a description of Superman, as well as putting emphasis on the fact that the film was produced by Christopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight series. This is a hugely popular comic book film series, and this tagline would attract a huge audience. The, 'Exclusive,' above also suggests that is is exclusive just to Empire magazine, which acts again as a promotional push for fans to buy the magazine. The grey, steel font suits the text, stands out from the main image and also goes with the colour scheme of black, red, white and silver.

  The banner line is another popular feature on magazines, and like music magazines, a banner line on a film magazine follows a similar purpose, that usually sums up the magazine or the issue itself; in this case, a Superhero preview issue. I will definitely note this feature, as it is conventional for a magazine, and will hopefully make my own project look more professional.

  The cover also features other cover lines, which basically list other, new movies, which are presumably featured in the issue. The fonts differ to add variety, although some follow the official design of the film title/logo. They are in white, following the colour scheme, and are positioned around the character in the main image. I like this composition, and although being quite simple, it gets straight to the point and the audience immediately know what they will find in the magazine. It is also interesting to add that all of the films listed, bar, 'The Lone Ranger,' are all superhero films!

The cover also includes a small, 'Plus,' section, that is extremely common and conventional on film magazines. Here it reads, 'First Look! Pegg & Frost at the World's End,' obviously implying that Empire is first to look at their newest film, but also plays on the films actual title, 'The World's End.' The bar code is also located here, conventionally at the bottom corner of the magazine.

There is also a pug featured at the bottom right of the cover, that reads, 'Discovered in Poland! DAVID LYNCH! The complete films! The final interview?' This relates to filmmaker and director David Lynch, that would attract the audience that are fans of his work, and his unique, 'Lynchian,' style.

Shutter Island - Poster Analysis

Here is a PowerPoint presentation of my analysis of the film poster for Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island.'

Shutter Island - Poster Analysis from harrevs

'Enclosed' - Animatic Trailer

This is our animatic of 'Enclosed.' We mainly wanted to test out the composition of the shots, and to see if when edited together along with the soundtrack that the real trailer would work.

Black Swan - Poster Analysis

  Black Swan is one of my favourite psychological thrillers, and as our film is the same genre, I thought it would be interesting to look into the posters used to advertise the film. There were actually about five posters for this film, however I had two favourites. This was one of them, because I find the image to be so cinematic and creative. Artistically, it manages to give an overview of the film plot just by an image.

  The colours here are again conventional for this type of genre, featuring white, black and red. I think that the contrast between the dark black and the pure white  is very eye catching, but also cleverly represents the story, in that there are the personalities of the white and the black swan. The main character is clearly a ballet dancer, apparent by her stance as well as her costume, and a combination of this and the actual title, 'Black Swan,' clearly inform the audience that the film is about/related to Swan Lake. However what I find most interesting and clever is the use of the cinematic black feathers that float around her. They not only represent her personality as the Black Swan, but also the idea that her life is falling apart around her due to the role in the ballet, which makes the link quite literal but so artistic.

  The title of the film sits conventionally towards the bottom of the poster, in a formal font to suit the story, in white to stand out from the black part of the costume. Above are main cast members, which were not included in the Silent HIll poster, but are definitely common and conventional, which I will include in my own poster. By flicking through various posters, I found that on average a poster features around two or three cast members, depending on the unique selling point, as if one actor was the USP, his name may be the only one featured on the poster.

  Another feature that is common in film posters is the advertising of the film's director, as a USP. This broadens the target audience, in this case suggesting that if one enjoyed 'The Wrestler' or 'Requiem for a Dream,' one will like this film too because it is directed by Darren Aronofsky. This is something that I will take into account when creating my own poster.

  A billing block will be vital in my own poster, and the one featured on the Black Swan poster is a typical version, however it is quite clever in that it works around her red arm. Although it is interesting to manipulate the billing block like this, I am not sure I would be able to do so for my own poster in order to achieve the best mark, as I have to follow certain rules and restrictions. However another thing that interested me about this billing block was that the font is different to the norm, as it follows the font of the main title, where as most are edited so the letters are slim. Company logos, age restriction, release and the website are all featured below, which I must recreate for my poster.

Silent Hill: Revelation - Poster Analysis

  As I analysed this film trailer, I thought that it would be a good decision to analyse the poster too, as I have an understanding of the plot and the meaning behind the composition and design.

  There were multiple posters produced to promote this film, however I found this one to be the most interesting and complex in terms of hinting at the story. The title of the film, "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D," is featured in the centre of the poster, which is positioned so that the reader knows that it is the title of the film, but also because it is unmissable. The font that is used resembles the franchise, as it is a film based on the popular series of video games. It is also used in the first film, and therefore continues the series.

  The main image is what interested me the most about the poster. The shot is portrayed as an unknown corridor with multiple arm reaching out, suggesting a prison-like environment. There is a young (about 18) girl crawling on the floor with a torch, and an unknown character behind her whom wears a pyramid sculpture on his head, and drags a large sword in tow. The girl that is crawling on the ground is evidently the main character in the film, and being on the floor emphasises her vulnerability. The fact that she has a torch presents the idea that she is exploring the location/looking for something or someone, and her distressed, fearful facial expression allows the audience to assume that she is the target in the film, and is presented with horrific events and must survive.

  The character following behind with the pyramid on his head, whom is actually named, "Pyramid Head," is portrayed as the potential villain in the film, as he suits the environment, as is posed in a very threatening manner, especially with the sword that he drags behind. The dark, barely lit lighting in the shot emphasises the idea of danger and horror, with most things being blurred and not quite clear (in terms of the characters' perspectives). The poster provides the code of enigma through the photo, as it leaves the viewer with questions such as:

-What is Silent Hill?

-What is the girl looking for and why is she here?

-Will she escape/survive?

-Will she be the victim of Pyramid Head?

  The poster features a tagline, "Prepare for a 3D ride through Hell," which not only reflects the story, but also a unique selling point - that the film will be available to watch in 3D. This is becoming increasingly popular in films, and more recently in horrors, and is very successful. In this poster, the tagline has replaced the billing block, however I am definitely going to include one in my own poster, as they are obviously conventional. The release date of October 26th is featured underneath the tagline, and it is interesting to see how they timed the release of the film to be near Halloween, as they will most likely make as much profit as possible in this season. There isn't much more to analyse here; the fonts are different to the main title of the film, perhaps because they are easier to read, and the colours are conventional (white and red are common in horror film posters) and stand out from the main image.

  Despite there being no billing block, the bottom of the poster does feature things such as the film company logo, as well as the age rating, which is presented the American way with a table, featuring 'R' for Restricted Viewing. It also features a Facebook link and a Twitter '#,' which are much more conventional nowadays and I think are important features that I should include in my own. They also allow one to play around with intruiging links, such as the one featured on this poster. "Welcome to Silent Hill." This perhaps makes it more memorable but also follows the iconic sign in the movie that reads the same.

  Analysing this poster has definitely helped me to understand what is needed to create my own poster, however I think I must analyse another, maybe one a little more conventional (includes a billing block) before I begin to draw up my own ideas.