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Saturday 3 April 2010

Monday 22 March 2010

Evaluation

The importance of promotional packages depend on how much the distribution companies spend on their campaigns and how their film gets viewed and advertised. Examples of this include The Blair Witch Project which didn't spend much on its advertising package. However, the 2009 film Avatar collaborated with other big named companies such as Coca Cola and Twentieth Century Fox to launch a worldwide marketing capaign to promote the film. A budget was given of $150 million for promotion. As a result the film broke many records including becoming the highest grossing film of all time worldwide. Proving that marketing and advertising gets the product seen and audiences talking about it.

I wanted my trailer to be based around Todorov's theory of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium, as a group we developed this idea and decided to have an alternative ending which would continue to get worse, therefore challenging his theory and giving the audience something different. I was cast as one of the lead characters which meant I had to be in front of the camera aswell as behind, however, I made sure to set up shots with my group so we could achieve exactly what we wanted as a team. Because of the story line and more importantly the horror genre of the trailer, we wanted the whole image of cinematography and sound to be quite dark and eary whilst not giving too much away. I wanted to use quick, choppy, fastly paced scenes to build suspense and the adreniline of the auidence.
Connecting this with my poster firstly, I wanted a dark atmosphere whilst the characters (especially the two girls) are shown to be quite innocent dressed in natural-shade dresses with the background helping to lead the audience to ask questions about the whole image. My final magazine cover was inspired by the Sight&Sound magazine cover found earlier in my blog. Out of all the magazines I researched, Sight&Sound really drew me in mainly because of its work based around films that don't have a large distribution company or budget behind them, much like my film.
As a whole I think my magazine, my trailer and my poster all work well together. Because as a group we didn't decide on a house style to begin with, I obviously wanted it to be based around 'The Sonnet'. My vision of this included the actual poem being typed out on a typewriter, to give it an old, eary, less personal feel. Therefore, this made my decision easy when it came to what typeface I wanted to use on my magazine and poster. However, I think my group made a better informed decision by using a typeface that suited the horror genre a lot more. I am pleased with my end piece but I think if I could change anything about them it would be to match the horror genre and the typeface of our house style altogether. This would not only help the audience to suggest that our film belongs to the horror genre, but it would also link all three products together which would enable the capaign to be recognised even at a quick glance.
The Texas Chainsaw Masacre inspired me to use the words 'nobody could hear them scream' in my trailer. I liked the comment because it caused suspense and gave a feeling of what's going to happening to them. It also linked in with intertextuality.
Whilst composing my products I have used various media technologies such as, Photoshop, Premier Elements, and Logic Pro. These have all given me the opportunity to showcase what I learnt in Year 12, aswell as developing new skills. Also whilst filming our trailer we had to work around the weather, which is where we encountered most of our problems. We started filming in late 2009 and as most of the groups in our class found, we had to do more filming to enhance the basic shots, therefore battling against different seasons! Looking back on it now, it helped us a great deal in order to achieve the juxtaposition of the weather that we wanted, which also helped to create the deteriation of the weather throughout our trailer, however, this wasn't without canceling filming dates due to snow, and incoming storms!
On one of our last filming days, we struggled a bit with the continuity of the character, Brooke, who I played. The slight problem of wearing different dresses could be noticed in our trailer, and we would try to disguise it as much as possible by suggesting its an under garment that she later stripped down to if anyone queried us by this. If we were to do this again, or at least, had more time, we would take me time in mise-en-scene and the continuity of our piece. I learnt that there is a wider range of technology around, therefore everyday people like myself are able to compete with the big giants such as 20th Century Fox etc. Although they have endless amounts of budgets - the one thing that differs to us - we still have an opportunity to be creative in around the media.
I would suggest Vertigo Films to be responsible for the production and distribuition of our trailer as when researching they are fond of backing commercially driven independent cinema on a low budget. I think there link with Film4 would also get our product seen by our target audience, and have it in full-view advertisement.

Saturday 20 March 2010

Audience Response - Proposed Questions

These are my initial questions that I will ask my target audience, and some people outside of my target audience.

1.) Do you go to the cimema?
2.) What is your favourite genre?
3.) Summerize the concept of my trailer
4.) What's you're favourite part?
5.) What do I need to improve?
6.) Do you think the poster, magazine, and film trailer all link?
7.) Who is the target audience?
8.) Can you relate to any of the characters?
9.) Where do you think it would be shown?
10.) Would you go to see this film?
11.) What rating (certificate) would you give it?
12.) What do you think the film is about by looking at the poster?
13.) Do you think it is effective?

I am going to get a group of people to watch and comment on my trailer, and I'm going to film their responses.

Trailer




My revised plan for my trailer.

Backing Track

My backing track was composed and produced by James Dennison who went to university to study Music Technology and his end result was a first in the subject. He composed the piece using a music program and then to make sure I had maximum input into the final piece I sat with him, amongst my group, and as a whole we decided on the effects we would use. The timing of the music was very important and sitting with James made me realise what a great impact it can make.

Me and Alice making crucial decisions about our sound!

James Dennison - A great help!

Tuesday 2 February 2010

Final Film Poster Design


I didn't change much of the image itself, but I like the way the two females are dressed in light shades. From my research I have used the actors names, in small above the title, as to not draw attention away from the main title, and the image. I like the atmosphere that the poster creates, and there is quite a bit of mystry behind the trees, and the natural lighting. I didn't want the main title to be in a colour that was too over powering so I kept in with the wardrobe of the characters.

Final Magazine Design

I am pleased with my final magazine front cover design. I enhanced the brightness, but contrasted it with the darkness of the ground and walls. This makes the characters stand out, and I think the main 'jist' of the couple is brought forward through the image. I wanted it to be a Sight & Sound magazine because of my previous research showing that Sight & Sound focus on films that don't have large distribution and big budgets behind them. This is much like ours, and I am happy with result. I didn't use a still from the film, as Sight & Sound tend not to, and I wanted to follow in their lead. I found it much easier to develop a piece than Year 12 as I think my skills have developed.