Evaluation

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

For my A2 media production I had to produce two alternate ancillary products as well as my main film production, the ancillaries were designed as a means of exhibiting and advertising my film. The two ancillary products were a film magazine front cover and a film, those tasks also contributing to the film trailer we created. Before we began to design our products it was essential that we researched existing products from the same genre, during this research we analysed a vast range of different products, which included scripts, magazine front covers, storyboards, posters and existing film trailers. By looking at existing products we were able to assess and choose what aspects and conventions would be most suitable to be included in our products it was essential to include elements of the conventions used in existing films of the same genre to ensure that the audience are able to easily comprehend and interpret the film in the way that it is designed to do. Take for example the research into existing film trailers, I focused predominantly on trailers that fall into the category of crime or comedy (which is the chosen genre of my media production) and assessed the range of camera, editing, sound and mise en scene techniques, due to research into this area I was able to get an impression of what aspects of setting, acting and costume would be best suited to be included in my own film, by using conventions generally associated with films of the same genre it meant the audience were able to decipher the genre and purpose of the product with relative ease. For example, in my own film production we tried to produce an authentic office area in which to film my trailer, this would add to the verisimilitude of the production and ensure the audience gains information and opinions of the characters on their surroundings and behaviour within the aforementioned surroundings. The sound aspects were also an imperative aspect in my trailer as music and sounds effects are essential in creating an atmosphere within the film, generally being used to emphasise a particular emotion from a character, or to establish the formality of a certain situation, for example the fight scenes within my trailer when the tempo of the background music increases and intensifies in order to convey action or danger. The usage of camera angles and editing techniques are also heavily present in my own trailer, during my research I looked closely at angles and movements which had been used in existing products to gain an understanding of the genre and its conventions, Take for example the extreme close ups in trailers from “Johnny English Reborn” they have been used to convey concentration and possibly arrogance from within the character, which is contrasting to his very foolish behaviour and the fact that he is prone to accidents, we tried to include basic camera shots such as that to create a successful and realistic production.

  During my research into the variety of alternate film posters and magazines for the ancillary production, I believe it was a good idea to assess the colour schemes, formats, layouts and language use which was present in those existing products to ensure the audiences attention was captured and maintained. When looking at existing film magazines they ensured that the colour schemes were altered so that it is fitted to the genre and subject of film that is the main bulk of the magazine front cover, ensuring that that we could use a specific colour scheme that would be relevant and support the film and look presentable, which would in turn ensure that audiences see the cover and are intrigued by the well organised and formulated magazine. By including the same colours present for the poster I created I was able to create something which in a way was like a ‘brand’ which comes with its own image. A prime example of this would be the magazine front cover advertising a James Bond movie, the imagery and colour scheme is all completely relevant to the topic of the movie and creates the idea of realism, therefore intriguing audiences, which in turn will make them pay to view the film. To ensure we made our products to the highest quality and that it met audience demand I created a questionnaire distributing it to people falling into the age range of our target audience to see what conventions we should incorporate into our own posters and magazine covers, examples of questions were revolving around colour scheme and font, this helped us design products which will be eye-catching and professional looking poster and magazine productions, this in turn means my magazine cover and film poster used the existing conventions to help make my products look well designed and formatted.

                      
In my opinion my trailer is has followed suit with similar existing trailer productions by credible film companies, due to the use of generic conventions of spy/comedy film trailers. This is predominantly because of the locations and costumes used, to ensure the trailer maintains an enigma and mystery to intrigue audience members, but it also follows the forms and conventions of the same genre of film because I have incorporated comedic aspects into our film so that it appeals to a selection of audiences, this meaning that our film could possibly be placed into a sub-genre.

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

 In my personal opinion the effectiveness of the combination of our main product and our ancillary texts has been a resounding success, due to other films of the same genre, the protagonist is the one character from the film that appears in the poster and the magazine front cover, I decided to include this element to ensure that audiences are able to assess what the films subject might be and give them a basic idea of what the film regards. By presenting the protagonist as a generic 'spy' character with conventions from research I had carried out on previous products, but also ensuring my products were original. I did this by using his dress sense and mannerisms to convey an impression of the main character to the audience, establishing personalities and generic stereotypes. To ensure all products were affiliated I used the protagonist in all of the ancillary products as well as the trailer, in turn this would mean that audiences viewed the ancillary products they would realise that they are associated with the actual film trailer, this is an imperative aspect of ensuring that audiences would be able to somehow view one of our products and purchase it, with all products being linked together it broadens the products and ensures each ancillary supports the actual main film trailer production. Another aspect that effectively combines the magazine front cover and the trailer is the costume of the protagonist being similar, if not the same, in both of which the main characters is wearing very formal clothing which is conventional for a man in his position and employment status, which adds to his professionalism which is very contrast to his behaviour.  The poster is also linked with the trailer, but in a somewhat more discrete manner, for example it does not include any aspects (apart from costume) present in the trailer, this has been done to create an enigma surrounding the mind-frame and behaviour of the protagonist. Although I did try to maintain a similar font styling with the poster and magazine front cover which again establishes a brand for the film.


 

    What have you learned from your audience feedback?

By gathering sufficient information from audience feedback via questionnaires I was able to interpret what parts to incorporate into my productions, so that they follow suit with a particular target audience. If audience feedback was exempt from my research I don’t believe my ancillary products would have been designed to quite such a high quality, previous to the production of those texts (the ancillary products) it was necessary to carry out research, the predominant research method was a questionnaire which had been formulated to get an idea of what age groups and genders thought best to include in all of our productions to ensure the up most quality. From the information gathered from the aforementioned questionnaire I ensured that I would try to include a varied amount of different conventions (from audience preferences) when designing and producing my ancillary texts as well as the film trailer itself. By including audience’s preferences I was then able to branch out with my products, and aim for a vast range of target audiences, coupled with the sub-genre of the film trailer it ensured a variety of people would have an interest in it. Also in my questionnaire I gained information on what, format, layout and design of existing film magazine covers they would prefer, this enabled me to design my ancillary texts in a way that would look professional and realistic, with appropriate text sizes and shapes, as well as the images used on cover, which I might add, with regards to different films and genres are used to convey different opinions. Where my film trailer production was concerned I asked about numerous aspects which audiences members would prefer to have included, aspects such as the impact of music in the trailer, the opinions of the audience gathered was predominantly ‘yes, music does have I significant impact on a film trailer’, whether it be to convey a particular impression of a character or just to establish emotions, the music and sound can be essential in a films success. From this questionnaire I was able to gain significant knowledge on what to include in my own products, without the inclusion of audience research into generic conventions I don’t believe our productions would have come out as successful.
 Post-production we also gathered yet more audience feedback gain an insight into what their opinions of our finished products were, from the feedback, I was able to alter certain areas of my products in order to suit the target audience more efficiently. Prior to these changes I made, I ensured that I asked the target audience for information of the areas in which I could improve upon to maintain that it would be specifically targeted at them, and that all aspects of the production were well designed and put together to make a successful product. From the audience feedback we realised that although people may like films of the same genre, there were conflicting opinions when it cam the the layout and colour schemes of the ancillary texts, meaning I had to take a variety of audience members opinions into account when designing my products to ensure it met the requirements they desired.

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

During my coursework production I gained the use of a variety of alternate media technologies which were used to aide me in the design and production processes. Such technologies included video/still cameras, the internet and also a varied amount of computer software. The most important piece of technology was the camera in which I used to film the trailer, it played a significant role in almost every area of the research, planning, design and production of my coursework, and was used to create a range of productions which included taking still images for both ancillary texts, as well as my final production (film trailer). During the research and planning area of my coursework I mainly used the internet and computer software technology, technology imperative in gaining the information I required to design my products. The use of the internet and search engines such as ‘Google’ were significantly important to my coursework as it enabled me to view existing texts and analyse them, gathering information on what conventions they use and how they use them, within their own products, which in turn made it easier for me to design my own products and include generic conventions whilst also maintaining originality. Software such as ‘Microsoft office publisher’ and ‘Macromedia fireworks’, as well as websites such as ‘Blogger’ were three of my most frequently used in the research, planning and production processes, I used these programmes/websites to both edit images (macromedia) to be placed on to my final designs (created on publisher), then uploaded onto my blog, with a written analysis on each segment. Other technologies used included in the planning and research area of my coursework the scanner which was an important element in uploading images to my blog, which were then analysed, I used the scanner to upload images of the storyboards which I designed, these would prove useful in the filming and editing process of my trailer, so that I could ensure all areas of the storyboard are cover, and what bits I may be able to elaborate. As it was part of the coursework requirements it was essential that they be included, so the scanner therefore played an integral part in the successful completion of my coursework. I used www.workingtitlefilms.com to research a variety of different film trailers from the same, if not similar genre, this would make sure that I had a significant understanding on what aspects to include in my film trailer, from camera angles/movements to editing and sound techniques, which are all used to make a professional and successful film trailer. iMovie was the program I used to edit my film trailer, it was a vital component in creating a video which would look realistic and professional. iMovie had a selection of editing and sound software which helped me to pull together all of the separate scenes which I had film for my trailer, and compose them all together. With the inclusion of editing techniques such as fades and slow motions as well as sound techniques used to convey drama, action or humour, I was able to comprise all these aspects together and make a completed trailer. As I had no prior knowledge of certain programs, as well as not being the most I.T competent of individuals, I found it difficult at the beginning to understand all of the features of the software, however as I spent more time using the program I was able to understand it far more clearly. As the project drew to its conclusion when evaluating, the website blogger ensured I was able to record and analyse all researched and designed products with relative ease.

Film Trailer

br /> The trailer begins with writing sweeping in reading 'THIS SUMMER', fading into a close up of the protagonist, fastening his tie, this ensures the audience gain the idea that he is of an upper class background or possibly a well dressed professional, the seclusion of the characters face and lower torso are used to create an enigma surrounding the main character. This is followed by a close up of the protagonist reaching for his suit jacket, the close ups suggesting an awe of importance revolving around the characters appearance, and that what he wears is significant to the plot of the movie, or what the character must do in the movie. This is then proceeded by the camera panning up from the protagonists feet, up to his head, the camera being set at a low angle for the character to look down towards it, suggesting to audiences that this character is trying to assert dominance, an express how he is the most imperative character of the movie. As the character leaves the room (edited by a series of cuts) he proceeds to walking into the camera, although the audience may have previously thought that the protagonist would walk directly at the camera, and then it would fade to black, however as we aimed to create a comedy, we decided it would be best for the protagonist to walk directly into the camera, which adds comic appeal, but also in a way conveys the vanity of the main character. Throughout both of those scenes there was background music playing (non-diegetic), used to assist and establish certain opinions of the character, such as his suave appearance, and high opinion of himself. Other scenes such as the aggressive gear changes, suggest although the protagonist is well groomed and sophisticated, he is susceptible to aggressive tendencies and is not afraid of action, this is also supported by the concluding scenes of the film, whereby the main character punches a villain in the face the smiles to the camera, in turn conveying the idea of vanity and cockiness which is contrast to his somewhat clumsy and oaf'ish behaviour in previous scenes. One of those scenes being, in the office when the protagonist goes to stand up from his chair and accidently places his foot in the bin located beside him, it displays his lack of awareness and possible incompitence, which begs the question why he is an spy in the first place, adding to the comedic appeal of the trailer. The significant change in music types and tempo throughout the trailer are used to signify changes in location and mood, for example during the fight scenes, the tempo of the music increases and becomes more intense, which has been used to establish drama and action within the scene. The editing techniques I used when creating my trailer, were used as a way of interpreting what is about to come, for example the use of fades have been incorporated as a means of conveying the suspense within the film, whereas simple cuts have been used to sharply cut from one character to another and to establish the speed or tempo of the scene. At the trailers conclusion the use of the zoom to extreme close up was used as a method of displaying the attitudes of the characters, with some smiling, and others with sinister apperances the use of close ups can dramatically affect the audiences interpretation of the text, whether it be positive or negative.