1. Does my use of conventions indicate what other trailers have influenced my teaser trailer? Trailers that have influenced my teaser trailer are: Shutter Island The use of differing paces in the teaser trailer creates intrigue and excitement , as well as hinting to the narrative. The use of fluctuating pace is used in my teaser trailer so that the audience can establish a narrative at the beginning then experience suspense as the pace becomes faster. I also used long shots to establish an isolated setting. The Last Exorcism I used expressive camerawork such as point of view shots so the viewer is placed in the female character’s position. I also used a lot of mid shots and close ups to reveal character expression and vulnerability. I also included an absence of lighting to reveal the character’s tainted psychological state. Extraordinary events happening in ordinary situations is another convention I used inspired by the possession evident in ‘The Last Exorcism’. I also included disturbing sounds (loud bursts of non diegetic music) which is inspired by those evident in ‘The last Exorcism’ POV shots Absence of lighting Long establishing shot Disturbing sounds
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? The social group that I have represented in the teaser trailer and on the magazine front cover and poster is young females. Gender is represented in a stereotypical way. The young female is presented as vulnerable and victimised and this is shown through the close ups of her facial expressions and the use of point of view shots in the teaser trailer. I decided to use a young female as the lead protagonist playing a victimised role because I believe that women naturally retain an expressive role and vulnerability can be effectively portrayed by young females. Also, I decided to cast a young female because the change in personality can be effectively portrayed through her body language and facial expressions . On the poster she is portrayed as having two personalities and her facial expression makes it clear that this woman is not only the victim of possession, but victimised by herself . I was inspired by films such as ‘Paranormal Activity’ in which the young female is victimised and possessed. Also, ‘The Last Exorcism’ includes a young female playing the vulnerable turned dangerous role and these two films indicate that this type of role is best suited for young females . My teaser trailer would not have been as effective if I had included a male as the lead vulnerable character as in my opinion men generally portray their emotions effectively in films through extreme actions. ‘ Paranormal Activity’ ‘Flat 39’ ‘The Last Exorcism’ ‘Flat 39’
3. Who would be the audience for your teaser trailer? My target audience: males and females aged 15+ because a level of understanding needs to be evident as the plot contains complex themes : haunting and possession, as well as content that would be unsuitable for younger viewers . I used the website http://www.bbfc.co.uk in order to establish what the common trends were in films of different certificates. I researched the certificate '15' and the common adjective used was 'strong' regarding language, violence and 'threat and menace'. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/classification/guidelines/15-2 This part of the website allowed me to research what is acceptable regarding different aspects of a film such as language, horror and discrimination regarding a certificate 15 film. Overall, this website allowed me to make the decision as to what age group I would be targeting and throughout construction I had to keep in mind my target audience. I also kept in mind films that I had researched that had inspired me and contained similar themes to my own teaser trailer: ‘Shutter Island’, ‘The Last Exorcism’ and ‘Paranormal Activity’ All three of these films has a certificate of ’15’
4. How did you attract/address your audience? Teaser trailer I attracted my audience in a variety of ways: - I used specific camerawork to reveal/conceal particular things. I included a low angle long establishing shot of the isolated setting to intrigue the viewer, make them feel slightly uncomfortable and to assume that something bad will happen here as the trailer progresses. I included a slow pace to begin with so that the audience would be attracted by the mysterious narrative as they can establish that something will happen with these 3 characters and that they are vulnerable. Typography is evident as this entices the viewer and makes them think about the writing they are viewing ‘what happens when the people you trust become the people you fear.’ This will attract the viewer as they wish to know what happens in the film in relation to this tag line. Close ups are evident and these ensure the viewer can establish that security is important within this film. Should the viewer be scared of what is outside or inside the flat? Long shots of individual rooms are evident to suggest to the audience that this film revolves entirely around the flat, the audience are forced to question, ‘what’s happened here?’ and the use of the monochrome images enhances the intrigue and adds to the mystery. They may question if these images are snap shots from a police report perhaps due to their colour quality. POV shots are used to place the viewer in the female’s position, this heightens the mystery as we see what she does, why is she like this? The suspense is increased due to the quickened pace as the jump cuts become increasingly fast.
5. Mid shots are used are we witness the female character’s mental state deteriorating, we question why she is like this and what has happened to her. This is heightened by the increasing pace and the loud bursts of non diegetic atmospheric ‘bangs’ to accompany the transition from one shot to another This is the final camera shot of the teaser trailer and adds to the suspense as the position of the female ensures the viewer feels as though she is looking at them, we cannot see her eyes which adds to the tension and directly addresses the audience. Overall, I attract and address the audience by following the conventions of a teaser trailer and the horror genre. The audience are attracted to the teaser trailer through pace, shot types (particularly POV, close ups and long shots) the typography ‘what happens when the people you trust become the people you fear’ the disturbing sounds accompanying transitions and the overall visual darkness of the teaser trailer.
6. How did you attract/address your audience? Film poster I attracted the audience by effectively following conventions of a film poster : The dominance of a main image portraying a complex narrative , the use of a select few colours , the darkness of a film poster and the use of the colour red . This reflection of the young female looking straight at the audience addresses them and makes them feel slightly intimidated . This combined with the rhetorical question ‘who should you fear?’ makes the audience feel quite involved in the narrative. The use of dark colours attracts the audience as the connotations of black are mystery and suspense and the connotation of red is danger . The audience can establish the genre through these colours The use of the mirror edge splitting up the two personalities suggests that this female is possessed and the audience wonder why and are intrigued by this aspect of the narrative. The dominant image is intimidating yet enticing. The gap in between certain words marks out the two sides aspect to the narrative. This ensures the audience understand that there are two sides to this female and they are attracted by the mystery surrounding this.
7. How did you attract/address your audience? Magazine front cover I attracted the audience by effectively following conventions of a magazine front cover feature : A dominant mid shot image of a character from the film featured , a unique selling point , the advertisement of other films and other features . A unique selling point : ‘on set with the cast and crew of Flat 39’. The audience are attracted by behind the scenes action and on set photographs. Other features advertised attract the audience as they are enticed by other features which could perhaps interest them ‘top 100 horror movies of all time!’ The audience are attracted by the advertisement of different films that are coming out. They can not only read about ‘Flat 39’ but other films also. This is reiterated by the top line typography ‘Red Riding Hood, Paul, I am.’ A dominant mid shot image of the female character attracts the audience as she is recognisable and the whole theme of the magazine revolves around this film and her deterioration shown through the distorted grey background and the distorted ‘TOTAL ’
8. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? I tried to create a sense of branding across the teaser trailer, poster and magazine front cover feature . I aimed to do this by including the main female character in all three products , by using similar themes for each product, threat, possession and vulnerability . When I was planning the narrative, I decided that I wanted to create a sense of branding across all three products but I also wanted to challenge the viewer by juxtaposing the image of the female on the poster and magazine front cover feature to how she is generally portrayed in the teaser trailer. In the teaser trailer she is presented as vulnerable and victimised yet on the poster she is portrayed as menacing and on the magazine front cover feature, domineering. I wanted to do this so that the audience would be able to recognise the young female as part of the ‘Flat 39’ promotion package but they would be slightly unsure as to what her role was within the film, antagonist or protagonist? This adds to the intrigue I wished to create so that the audience would have no choice but to watch the film to understand the narrative to its full extent . Female presented as vulnerable in the teaser trailer Female presented as menacing on the film poster Female presented as domineering on the magazine front cover feature
9. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts? Others ways in which I created a sense of branding... I decided to use low-key lighting for all three products so that the mystery of the plot is sustained throughout the promotion package. Teaser trailer Poster Magazine front cover feature To sustain continuity in my promotion pack I chose to use one font for the film title for my ancillary products and a similar font in the teaser trailer. This meant that my film is given a recognisable image. Teaser trailer Poster Magazine front cover feature Significant colours are also evident and reiterate the juxtapose I wished to create throughout my promotion package. In the teaser trailer the white font connotes vulnerability whereas the red font on the poster and magazine front cover connotes menace and dominance. Again, the complex narrative is explored through the use of colours and font choices. The theme of deterioration is evident also through the jagged outline on each film title.
10. What have you learned from your audience feedback? I used www.surveymonkey.com to do my first piece of audience research. I constructed a questionnaire that allowed me to identify what my target audience expected to view when watching a teaser trailer of the horror genre . This audience feedback allowed me to confidently construct a horror teaser trailer that I knew would appeal to my target audience as I knew what they wanted , for example, ‘a small amount of the narrative is to be revealed in order to intrigue and grasp the audience's attention.’ I have learned that it is very important to consider audience feedback as this is the direct link between the construction and exhibition of a media text . It allows me to ask the audience what they think, a first draft, so that I can change aspects and make it better for the people who I am making it for. It was the most helpful thing for me all throughout the process of construction. I ensured that I got audience feedback on my first edit for my teaser trailer. I uploaded it onto youtube and this allowed people to let me know directly what they thought and what I should change. This gave me confidence with my second edit and was very helpful as it allowed a fresh perspective on my teaser trailer . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD-c_ALXto0&feature= player_embedded
11. What have you learned from your audience feedback? I received audience feedback on some mock ups that I constructed for my ancillary products. I wanted to know what people thought of the ideas and the overall layouts. http://melissajonesmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/audience-feedback-for-ancillary-product.html I learnt that constant audience feedback was essential if I wanted to construct successful ancillary products. Always interacting with my audience was key . Using another questionnaire allowed me to convert the results into pie charts so it was obvious what I was doing well and what needed improving. This allowed me to have confidence in constructing my ancillary products. As I was constructing my poster I ensured that I received some audience feedback so that I knew what to change and how to make it more successful and effective . I constructed four drafts in total , changing things each time in accordance to audience and personal feedback. I decided to do the same with my magazine front cover feature . After the first draft I received audience feedback and then changed it in accordance to what they said and my own personal ideas . Audience feedback was essential at this point as my promotion package was almost complete and I needed to make sure that the desired effect was being achieved , so audience feedback at this point was very helpful and again, allowed a new perspective to evaluate my work. http://melissajonesmedia.blogspot.com/2011/02/audience-research-for-magazine-front.html
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13. How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages? Research and planning I chose to present my research and planning on my blog: www.melissajonesmedia.blogspot.com This allowed me to utilise technology by inserting youtube videos, inserting images, sounds, mock ups, photographs and pie charts. All of these things allowed me to have diversity in how I presented my work as well as allowing me to make the best of the technology that I had . The internet also played a big part in my research and planning as it allowed me to view the youtube clips and use and edit my blog effectively. I was also able to use new media technology effectively by being able to add labels to my blog posts . I used a website called www.surverymonkey.com to create questionnaires for audience research so the internet was very helpful in this way. I also used Microsoft Excel to create pie charts so that I could efficiently get to grips with my audience research. Construction I used a digital video camera to film the footage for my teaser trailer. I also used a tripod so that I had steady shots when needed. Using a digital video camera allowed me to store a lot of footage and use effects such as the black and white effect seen in the long shots of the rooms in the flat. I used Adobe premiere to edit my footage together and was able to use this with confidence and ease as I knew how to use it due to my AS experience. This allowed me to edit efficiently and try new things such as using an abundance of jump cuts. I used the internet, ‘youtube’, to upload my first and second drafts so that I could get audience feedback , so digital technology allowed me to interact with my audience . When constructing my poster I used www.picnik.com to edit and create the desired effect with ease. I was able to add text and change the colour and sharpness of the image also. I used a digital camera to take the images for my poster. When constructing my magazine front cover I used a programme called ‘paint. net’ to edit the image of the female and make particular areas of the image ‘invisible’ so that I could layer the image of her onto a suitable background. I used Microsoft Word to compile the final magazine cover as I was able to layer a lot of images and text with ease.
14. Evaluation In the evaluation stages I used new media technology effectively by presenting my first question on the blog . I used to construct four videos explaining the conventions of a teaser trailer, poster, magazine front cover and the horror genre. I wanted to present the conventions in an interesting way so made the videos and then commented on them in relation to my own products on the blog. I used Microsoft PowerPoint to compile my presentation and included images, screen shots, hyperlinks and sound clips so that I would be using an abundance of new media technology as well as presenting my work in an interesting manner. I used www.slideshare.net to upload my PowerPoint onto my blog so that it could be viewed with ease and if needed, the blog information was there to scroll down and look at.
15. Looking back at AS, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from that coursework to the construction of your A2 coursework? Research and Planning I have enjoyed the research and planning a lot more as I have learnt how to effectively use my blog , for example, inserting labels to particular blog posts so that I have grouped information. In my A2 coursework I have received a lot more audience feedback due to being able to construct questionnaires online and then convert the results into pie charts and upload them onto my blog. Doing this allowed me to easily notice particular trends within my target audience and realise what they would like to see in my promotion package. Overall, I have learnt to utilise my blog very efficiently compared to when I did at AS level. Also, storyboarding was a lot more efficient as at AS I didn’t include much detail about shot types etc yet I did at A2 so the actual construction of the teaser trailer was done with confidence and ease and took less time due to being fully prepared . Construction I was able to use the digital video camera and tripod more confidently as I knew what worked and didn’t, having made mistakes at AS. I was able to be a lot more experimental with particular shots , such as POV shots , actually running with the camera for desired effect. I also had more confidence using particular effects on the camera , such as the black and white effect. I was a lot more experimental with lighting in my teaser trailer as at AS there was one perhaps two dominant lights but I had a range at A2 due to the nature of the task. I was more confident with placing lamps in certain places for low-key lighting and I was more confident filming outside also . Overall, I had a lot more confidence with the digital technology that I used and enjoyed the process a lot more as I planned efficiently. I also think I have progressed a lot with particular programmes such as Adobe premiere and enjoyed using new programmes such as ‘Paint. net’ and ‘picnik’. I was a lot more experimental whilst constructing my promotion package. I was more confident with creating pace on Adobe premiere combined with sound effects as I had a lot of shots to play with.
16. Evaluate technical decisions of your teaser trailer. Evaluations Camerawork I feel as though I was successful in being able to tell a story through the style of moving image. I feel as though the continuity in my teaser trailer was effective as the narrative was allowed to progress with ease at the beginning yet as the pace developed more mystery and suspense was created through the fluctuating pace and shot types. I was able to create meaning through particular camerawork as at the beginning the viewer witnesses a normal group of friends yet the close ups of the lock and door express security worries to the audience. The POV shots and mid shots of the young female appear later on in the trailer and reveal her deterioration as a character so the audience can establish something bad has happened to this young female. Editing I am quite pleased with my use of editing as I think that I followed the conventions of a teaser trailer effectively by having a slower pace at the beginning to a faster pace near the end to heighten the suspense and mystery. I used straight cuts at the beginning of the teaser trailer so that the audience could establish who these people were and where they were going etc. The slow pace adds to the suspense because the audience are waiting for something to happen. I also used fade to black as the writing appeared ‘what happens when’ etc. This takes the audience away from the action and allows them to be enticed by the complex narrative and intrigued by the writing they have just read. I used jump cuts as the trailer progresses to signify the fright and suspense apparent. The pace is increasing as the audience’s anticipation and intrigue is increasing. The editing mirrors the audience’s emotions somewhat. I think I was effective in using editing to portray a complex storyline to the viewer portrayed by the fluctuating pace.
17. Sound I think that I used sound effectively in my teaser trailer to sustain an eerie atmosphere. At the beginning there is underlying, tense non diegetic music signifying to the viewer that something bad is about to happen and this sound combined with the darkness also suggests to the viewer that this is a film of the horror genre. I used loud bursts of a ‘bang’ sound as the writing appears ‘what happens when’ to frighten the viewer and build the tension as the narrative is unfolding. I used these ‘bangs’ as the trailer progresses and also use them as the pace increases with the jump cuts near the end, this increases the tension and mystery as we see the narrative unfolding and feel slightly uncomfortable witnessing a female in obvious distress. I used particular sound effects to heighten the tension such as the breathing sound with there is a CU of the bottom of the door as the female closes it and the buzz of the speaker signifies that there is a disturbance at the flat. These sound effects are slight but add to the overall tension and mystery of the plot. Mise en scene The lighting is very low key in my teaser trailer overall to suggest that this is a film of the horror genre and to make the viewer feel uneasy regarding the uncertainty that darkness portrays. The rustling of the vegetation outside as the three characters walk into the flat is a form of pathetic fallacy and adds to the overall uncomfortable atmosphere created. The lighting is low key in the flat to suggest that something is wrong and this lighting combined with the mid shots of the female character rocking back and forth suggests her mental deterioration. The colours evident are significant as at the start of the teaser trailer the female is wearing light colours to symbolise her innocence yet as the trailer progresses she is wearing dark colours to signify her negative change in personality, suggesting she is dangerous. The overall lighting gets darker as the trailer progresses mirroring the female’s mind frame and deterioration as a person. I chose to cast a female as the dominant victim as generally in horror films females portray victimisation ad vulnerability most effectively. For example, in Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist and The Last Exorcism, the vulnerable characters are all female.
18. Discuss possible improvements that you could have made on your promotion package. Teaser trailer I think I perhaps could have made the long shots of the flat rooms more steady and perhaps added a sound effect of a camera taking a picture to signify that these are images from a police report or taken after the main events evident in the film. I think I could have made the overall visual of the teaser trailer a little bit lighter so that the audience could witness the characters with ease and get to grips with the narrative, yet still be intrigued by the darkness as it connotes uncertainty. I could have made the font for ‘Flat 39’ the same font as I used poster and magazine front cover so that there was branding in this way all across the three products. I would still keep the colour white on a black background but could have used the same font. Poster I perhaps could have made the yellow light in the background a little bit darker so there isn’t a stark contrast between that light and the darkness of the dominant image. I could have made the whole poster a fraction lighter so that the audience would still be able to establish it is dark due to its genre and mysterious nature yet would be able to see the female a bit clearer. Magazine front cover feature I could have made the ‘top 100 horror movies of all time!’ a fraction smaller so that the audience would concentrate on the dominant image in the middle. I could have perhaps made the female’s face a little paler so that she is given more of a shocking, striking, scary look.