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.

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!

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.

First Images

These are my images that I will use for my magazine and film poster. Because I was used in the images, I made sure I set up the shots, and has Alice take them. It worked out well, and now I will edit them to see some of the effects possible. I prefer the last two because I think an eary atmosphere has been created just by the natural lighting. The first photo is too bright, and I think too much is given away by the flash of the camera.

Similar Film Analysis

Atonement is a 2007 Working Title film starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightly. It had world wide distribution through Universal Studios. It also recieved positive reviews, with critics worshipping the performance of both main characters, and the films 'brilliant cinematography' in general.

The poster:

The poster shown above gives the impression of a great love story. The way the two of them are looking in different directions makes the reader feel like they are thinking of each other. This is high lighted in the way the main title runs through the middle of the design. It shows that the two people are seperate, and an almost forbidden love affair is happening. Classical colours are used, with the background of each person being the main colour. Above is a minty pea green, and below the colour of poppys is shown. The colours themselves contrast, and again this could represent something forbidden. The typepography used is that of a type writer, showing its age, and its relevance to the story. The tag line - 'Joined by love. Seperated by fear. Redeemed by hope' creates sympathy from the audience, and also makes them believe in true love. It shows who is starring in the film, which helps followers of the actors/actresses. It also show previous films, and that it was based upon a novel. This is all information which the audience can process and use to to acess if they want to see they film or not, and if it appeals to them.

The Notebook is a 2004 film, distributed by New Line Cinema. It's a romantic drama film starring Ryan Gosling, and Rachel McAdams who show a heartbreaking love story.

The Poster:

It shows a very intimate side to this film. The bright light in the background shows them looking quite angelic, and the fact that it's set in the rain gives the audience something that would normally be classed as not normal, and something that people just wouldn't do, but here it looks the main focus and somehow look obtainable. The focus is on the two people with names of others involved in the production of the film underneath, and the title in bold. The colour of the dress is the same colour as the sky, which is quite asthetically pleasing.The way the two are embraced suggests the passion throughout the story.

Distribution Companies

The distribution influences the genre of the film, the budget of the film, and the audience they aim it at. The companies also produce the trailer and the success of the film, which at the end of the day is the greatest influence in the DVD market impact.

Optimim Releasing focuses on theatrical releases with the most recent being Army of Crime released in October 2009. From the acclaimed and award winning director of THE LAST MITTERAND, ARMY OF CRIME sees poet Missak Manouchian lead a mixed bag of youngsters and immigrants in a clandestine battle against the Nazi occupation.
It was screened on the 17th of May at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, it was later wide released in September of the same year. The film doesn't include any big names.

Paramount Pictures is a feature film production, video and DVD worldwide distribution company and produces programs for televison broadcast. It's most recent releases - yet to be released - are The Lovely Bones to be released in January 2010, and Case 39 which is also due to be released around the same time.

Case 39 uses a juxtaposition (an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast) to show the contrast between a good situation and turning it bad, and potentially horrible. I liked this film as it reminded me of what we are trying to achieve in our film.

Vertigo films is a UK film and media production and distribution company founded in 2002, with the aim of producing and distributing commercially driven independant cinema. Vertigo films are also a partner in the international sales company Protagonist pictures, a joint venture with Film4 and Ingenious Media. They have produced twenty seven films to date which has secured them a place as the leading UK low budget production company through a string of profitable films in the first six years.

The film, which saw Robert Carlyle take Best Performance award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, will also screen at the Rome International Film Festival and has already made appearances at the Jersey International Film Festival and Cambridge Film Festival.

20th Century Fox was formed in 1915 and it is one of the six major American Distribution companies and has helped to create films such as Star Wars, Ice age, X-Men, Die Hard, Alien, Night At The Museum, Home Alone, and the Predator series which all of which are big, well known films, that most have become sequals and follow ons.

Film Magazines

Our film is going to be British, low budget, and using non-actors and no special effects. As part of out coursework we have to produce a front cover of a film based magazine and a poster promoting our film trailer.

I have researched Sight & Sound Magazine which is a published monthly by the British Film Institute. Sight & Sound reviews all film releases each month including those with a narrow art house release, as aposed to the more mainstream focus of it compettitors.

The background of the front cover of Sight & Sound consists of just one image, which makes it less complicated and makes the audience focus on the main feature. The main title is bright and attractive, and makes it stand out. It is the same layout every month which continues the following audience.

Empire magazine is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer media. It is the biggest film magazine in Britain consistently outselling its nearest market rival Total Film and is also published in Australia, Turkey and Russia. It reviews both mainstream films, and art films.

Total Film magazine, published by Future Publishing is the United Kingdoms best selling film magazine. It offers film and DVD news, reviews, and features. It was launched in 1997 and is published every 4 weeks. It has major sections with screening films. Major releases recieve comprehensive coverage, with a star rating out of five, and the magazines own predicted curve. Also briefly mentioned are similar recomendations under ''See this if you liked..''. Smaller films recieve a concise review and rating. The end section is devoted to the current US and UK box office charts.

British Film Magazine shows all the British films that will be making the headline in the coming months. Its aim when it was first launched was to cover all the aspects of the film industry. However, the magazine company soon found out that there was too much to cover and decided to be selective with what they covered. The editor is Terence Doyle who aims the product at a 50,000 circulation, more than the trade titles but fewer than the 205,000 that Empire sells every month.

This would be a suitable audience to aim our film at. As I said before, out film doesn't include big named actors, and this magazine doesn't focus on the big budget films.

Unrelated is an English film released in 2007 and directed by Joanna Hogg.

The distributor is New wave films which was The work of certain French film-makers – Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut among them – who in the late 1950s and 1960s rebelled against conventionality, seeking instead a vital spontaneity. Their early modernist films proved to be hugely influential throughout Europe.

Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette (1928– ), Eric Rohmer and the others of the New Wave, often associated with the journal Cahiers du Cinéma, rejected the ‘literary’ style of the classic French film. They admired the American cinema, particularly the work of film-makers like Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and the B-film directors, but disdained the coherent narrative flow of Hollywood cinema.



DOGGING: A LOVE STORY

It is an English film with American Funding directed by Simon Ellis.

The distribution and production is Vertigo Films, a British company founded in 2002 who have the aim of producing and distributing commercially driven independent cinema. Vertigo have produced and distributed twenty seven films to date and secured the company's position as the leading UK low budget production company through an unprecedented string of profitable films in our first six years. From the huge selling success of Nick Love Films such as The Football Factory (the biggest selling independent UK DVD with 1.3M units to date), The Business and Outlaw, to the critical and award winning releases of titles such as Its All Gone Pete Tong (Best Film Toronto Film Festival/Best film HBO US Comedy awards) to the multi award winning London to Brighton and In Search of A Midnight Kiss.

This film is like ours because the camera shots aren't expertly done, and the editing is rough. It isn't done with a hollywood budget, and it won't be released in the cinemas. Ours will be the same. However, it uses the best shots

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Teaser Trailer Analysis

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, and written collectively by Hooper and Kim Henkel. While presented as a true story involving the ambush and murder of a group of friends on a road trip in rural Texas by a family of cannibals, the film is completely fictional. He produced on a budget estimated around $140,000, Hooper cast relatively unknown actors for his film, drawing people mainly from the areas surrounding the Texas filming locations. When the film was completed, Hooper struggled to find a distributor for the film because of the graphic depiction of violence; when he did secure a distributor the MPAA gave the film an R-rating, instead of the PG-rating Hooper had intended. Upon the completion of post-production, filmmakers found it difficult to secure a distributor willing to market the film, due to the graphic content.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre teaser trailer uses intense heartbeat to increase the mood of the scenes that flash on the screen. It makes the audience feel on edge. Because of the short clips used, they fade in and out of focus, and show a dark mood. Because of the scenes that are shown, the storyline isn’t given away, which makes the audience wants to go and see it.

At the start of the trailer, a date is flashed on the screen which makes it seem like it is real life, and this actually happened. The main car/van is driving alone on the road with a dirt track and dust rising as it continues into the distance. It quickens the pace, and keeps the audience in suspense, and gets them ready for what is happening.

Location List

Winchelsea Country Lanes

Pett level beach

Meadows in Guestling

Our Pitch

Our pitch went quite well, but I think we needed to know how to present out ideas more and have more concrete ways to get our ideas over to the audience. I think since we did this presentation we have cemented ours ideas a lot more, and we all know what we want to achieve, and how we will do so.

Lament: A Modern Sonnet

We chose a traditional sonnnet because of the romantic effect it gives. To the audience, the sonenet will represent a love poem, and in our film it does, until it goes wrong. This shows the contrast between love and our horrific tragedy which in some twisted way it is about a girls love for a boy and him breaking her heart. This is the sonnet we will use and what we will base our film around -

First glance, I see your beautiful brown eyes.
I fall immediately under your spell.
Slipping into a dream, I hear love's sighs
The dream turns out to be a living Hell.
When you said you loved me, did you mean it?
Your lie is poisionous as blackened sin.
Your beauty cannot hide your soul, the pit.
Release the demon that has lain within.
I've looked into your eyes to find your soul
Wherever it has gone, I do not know.
Your mind controls the 'shell' it plays the role.
Your love is ice, as you know how to show.
Though you have proved the demon, played the role
I find all beauty in your broken soul.

S. Alan Burgess

Examaning the Sonnet -

'First glance' - Straight away they are over taken by what they feel
'I fall imediately under your spell' - Like magic of the heart
'Slipping into a dream, I hear love's sigh' - Like love is a real person taking over them. Living in the shadow of this 'person'.
'The dream turns out to be a living hell' - Finally realised there is a bitter side to this emotion.
'When you said you loved me, did you mean it? - Questioning this persons beliefs and feelings, because all of a sudden its turned sour.
'Your lie is poisonous as blackened sin' -
'Your beauty cannot hide your soul, the pit' - Darkening the emotion of love.
'Release the demon that has lain within'
'I looked into your eyes to find your soul, wherever it has gone I do not know.
- This shows the total contrast between the start of the poem and the middle/end. This is the same as our film - the contrast between happy, and sad.
'Your love is ice, as you know how to show'

The Sonnet - Where's Your Destiny Written?

Inspiration -
- The Notebook
- Ps I Love You
- The Edge Of Love
- Atonement
= The perfect fairytale life

- Saw
- 28 Days Later
= The imperfect (everything goes wrong) life

Genre:
- Horror

Characters:
- Ben DE Havilland - Main Man
- Charlotte Russell (Me!) - Main Woman
- Catherine Jefferies - Little girl, pure, innocent, white dress heart-broken!

Elements we need:
- Sound directors
- Lighting

Audience Response:
- What films do you watch?
- Do you like this idea?

Planning Our Film -

Genre Of Film -
We have decided to make our film fit into the horror genre. As a group, we know more about this genre and we are more interested in the films as a whole. We could also make a horror more orginal and our own.

Storyline -
The main storyline is that of the contrast between the perfect/happy life between a couple and then how it turns into being a horrific scary scenario.

We want it to be based around a Sonnet which is still an ideal romantic element where a couple are happy with shots of them with friends in feildsand on beaches, laughing and joking with them and finally reading the Sonnet which releases an ancient curse written by a young girl who was heartbroken by being torn away from the love of her life.

House - quickly grabs book - frantic
- Picnic basket
Meadow - Read book
- Destiny love story
Beach - Campfire
Evil poem falls out
Read poem out loud
Flashes of them - Scenes of them running
- Enhanced breathing
Looks up
Girl in white dress - In water
Couple run
Poem left floating in water

Tagline -
- When does a sotry become reality?
- Have you ever read a story that become reality?
- Where is your destiny written?

Name -
- The Poem
- Clarity
- Transparent Destiny
- Epic Poem
- Sonnet In White
- The White Sonnnet
- The Transparent Sonnet
- The Perfect Sonnet
- Sonnet
- The Sonnnet - The makes it sound powerful and keeps the focus on the one sonnet included in our storyline.
We wanted to get the message of innocence and purity into the title because of the young girl in the white dress, for this reason we came up with names such as

• Sonnet In White
• The Transparent Sonnet
• The White Sonnet

so we could convey the girl as being a virginal, moral person, which would help to enhance the image of things going horrifically wrong. We didn't feel these names were too catchy enough, and therefore it would persuade the audience not to go and see the film once they had viewed the trailer.

Todorovs theory of narrative -
His basic thinking of narrative was that it started of perfect, went wrong and then went back to normal again.
Todorov argues that narrative involves transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption. There is always a beginning, and middle, and an end, and that's how the audience minds work.

In a way, our film will go against this. It will start of happy, and perfect, and then it will end showing the bad effects of love.

Juxtaposition - an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Our film will do this. It will show the contrast between love and hate, and how suddenly in can all go so wrong.

Films we used for inspiration -

The Notebook -

The Notebook is a film based around a book, and directed by Nick Cassavetes who has won numerous awards for his many films. He is well known for his drama/romance films, which have been named chick flicks, but still audiences draw in to see his films in the box offices.

The trailer starts of with soft music coming before shots of the characters - this instantly gives the audience an insight into what the film is going to involve. It is quite classical which represents how love is like this. Always the same. Then a voice over starts to tell the story. It sounds like a trusting voice, and then begin the shots of the main characters in the country side. The first few shots are done in slow motion in time with the music, and show the characters laughing and joking, as the story intensifies, the music gets higher, and more exciting. The lighting in bright, and shows the two main charcters at there best. The make up is soft, and elegant, and nto over done.
However, even in the trailer we see the difference and struggle between two families, and a great love affair. When the pair are at the dining table surrounded by the girls family, the male character is dressed in black, whilst the others are dressed in white. It represents him being the odd one out, and how they look down on him. The audience get to see the struggle of the daughter, and how she goes against her parents. When the music intensifies even more, the charcters are introduced at the peak, and there is a shot of them in main focus.The title of the film is the introduced in a handwriting typeface, which makes it seem more relevant to the subject.
It last for 2.17 seconds, which is quite long for a trailer, but it involves many shots and introduces many characters. Despite it giving the audience an idea of the sotryline, it doesn't give it away, and still leaves them with un-answered questions, such as what happens? so the main purpose of the trialer is fulfilled beacuse it gives the audience an idea of the storyline without giving too much away.

Nightmare On Elmstreet

Nightmare On Elmstreet was directed by Wes Craven in 1984. It won two awards and 3 nominations. The plot revolves around several teenagers being terrorized in their nightmares by the ghost of a serial child murderer named Fred Kruger. The film's premise is the question of where the line between dreams and reality lies.

The trailer itself involved the teenagers on the phone, with an objective camera looking in. The themes involve the target audience, teenagers, and sleep/night time. It is set in bedrooms, white middle class houses, and everyday places, which makes it more scary for the audience.