Evaluation Task 4

HD Camera-
In order to keep our audiences attention we had to use a range of shots, this also allowed for us to create effects such as tension and suspense. The framing was crucial to our film, in particular during the shots at the barn due to the awkward lighting meaning certain angles would clash with our genre. We also did not want irrelevant areas of setting and so focused on the restrictions the barn presented and the isolation of its location in order to create the effect of fear.

 

Blogger-

I have used Blogger in order to compile my research, planning, evaluations and trailer/ancillary tasks in one place. It shows the development of my ideas from early suggestions to the final piece. You can also edit and add ideas in at any point and this flexibility was particularly useful. Due to the fact that there is an app for Blogger, I was able to access it on the move and could continuously add to my blog. This was important in particular due to restrictions on school computers and finding extra time to add to my work. The use of the blog online also combines with my demographic due to the internet being most popular among young users. You also decide what your blog looks like therefore you can manage it in order for it to suit your demographic which has proved particularly effective for me.

Email-

Email helped us to transfer images and parts of our filming in order to create our ancillary tasks. If a quick reply wasn't needed then email was particularly useful due to its accessibility from many locations. Our presentation for our ideas was also transferred between us by email meaning we were able to prepare.

Mobile Phones-

Our phones were the most important method of communication as we needed to get immediate responses often. It helped in particular in order to organise filming sessions with our actors and actresses. We had a group chat with our group and two extra actresses, this chat allowed for us to be prepared for lessons as well as editing and filming. If a member of the group was struggling with a task they were able to contact the group chat and at least one of us would be at hand to help and in order to provide guidance.

 

Adobe Photoshop-

Photoshop was used in order to create our ancillary tasks, as well as a magazine recreation in our research. Due to it providing the opportunity of layering we were able to create realistic magazine covers similar to those you see on the shelves. There are many affects and tools available on Photoshop, such as cutting tools and outer glows. The outer glow was particularly important to me as it allowed for me to blend my characters into the background in order to prevent them from looking misplaced. The glow will also catch the attention of my audience as it draws your eyes to my magazine cover. It prevents the cover from being dull, without Photoshop this would not have been possible. The cutting tool allowed for me to remove unnessacary backgrounds from images therefore allowing for me to make them seamless with the rest of my magazine cover.

Adobe Premier Pro-

We used Final Cut Pro to edit our filmed product last year, however we were forced to move schools ad so had to learn to use a new editing software which had significant drawbacks. This programme was not as good or easy to use as Final Cut Pro however we learnt how to use it effectively. We were able to arrange our clips effectively and cut them to the correct lengths as well as adding titles, transitions and filters to match our genre. In general, we adapted to the programme effectively and created a strong trailer. 

 

Voice Recorder-

We used two voiceovers in our trailer, one of me and one of Adam. It made our trailer more substantial as it added more layers. They were placed in slower areas of our trailer to add interest and information for our audience. I have also used the voice recorder for evaluation 2 as it has allowed for me to speak over the trailer which adds an extra concept to my blog. It was simple to use and possessed more than adequate memory.
 

Memory Stick-

We used a memory stick to transfer our trailer between computers, as well as our ancillary tasks. This was particularly important as it meant all members of our group could access these, as well as allowing teachers access as well.

Websites-

I used the internet mostly for research purposes such as accessing trailers as well as my blog. Man film websites containing trailers, such as YouTube and IMDB are easy to access and navigate. We also used YouTube and other websites to compile music for our trailer.

 

Evaluation Task 3

During this course I have altered all three of my product in line with feedback from others as well as through my own decisions.

We received substantial feedback for our trailer after out group presentation to the class, as well as throughout the process from our teachers. The most telling of the feedback was the fact that our trailer was too slow and needed to be cut more effectively. In order to create the tension we were searching for the trailer had to run at an extremely high pace. We had originally focused on having such a wide range of shots that our trailer had become too long and slow. Therefore we cut many shots entirely as well as trimming up some of the longer shots. Eventually, we were able to significantly increase the pace of the trailer, which was helped through the use of a montage. The other key feedback we received was for us to change the title of our film. The title was originally '18/02', representing the date our film's USP is based on. However, this was not clear enough and we received many comments suggesting that we find an improved title. Eventually we settled on the title of 'D.O.B' as it offered more connotations to our audience as well as making our USP more clear. We had a conversation with a media technician at our school who gave us some effective advice on our intertitles and how we could add some slight movement to them, as well as on some close ups. This draws the audiences attention subconsciously to the intertitle itself. Overall, we did not need too much feedback in order to ensure our film fitted our genre of Horror Thriller as this had been completed in the majority, however it was just minor tweaks that allowed for us to narrow down on our demographic and to ensure we had completed a piece of work of a high quality.

I also received significant feedback on my two ancillary tasks, the magazine cover and the poster. From my original draft of my magazine cover I was told I had too much glow around the images and that they were too small. I had added the glow in order to draw attention to the images however by making the images larger I was able to remove the need for this, drawing attention to them through their size instead. I was also told that it was not clear that the magazine was a special edition of D.O.B, the film I created. In order to ensure this was clear I had to alter the position and size of the text. This in turn made it clear that this film would be a key part of the magazine. The key issue with my first draft however, was that it was too busy in the wrong areas. In order to counter this I removed some unnecessary text and made an image of some stars I had created significantly smaller. This allowed for attention to be focused on the important features of the magazine and would not confuse my demographic. I agreed with this feedback and I believe it significantly helped my improve my final piece, I had become focused on squeezing all the conventions on to my magazine cover through different techniques, however this feedback allowed for me to see that I could do that without congesting the magazine cover.

 I had significantly less feedback for my poster however it was of equal importance due to the minimalistic nature of my poster. I had originally included a third image of a barn on the poster however it was not clear once shown on the full screen. To counter this I made the other two images more central and removed the image of the barn. Adding a effective simple theme to my poster as it allowed for a key focus on Sean's character. However I had also had to dull the glow on Sean I had added previously to draw attention to him as it was to bright, removing all attention from other areas of the poster. By doing this I was able to still draw attention to him however it was more subtle and natural. My tagline itself was also unreadable once on the big screen. In order to fix this I changed my font and increased its size. This, in parallel with the lowering of the glow on Sean made its importance much clearer to my demographic. Finally, it was also pointed out that my billing block was too small and that I needed to make it smaller as it was not needed as a key part of the poster. In order to do this I made the basic text smaller however I kept the actors names in bold. This allowed for the important information to be clear however the unnecessary text was now of a correct size. Through this feedback I was able to create a much more professional looking poster, whereas previously some basic conventions were misplaced.

In conclusion, the audience feedback I received was invaluable. Due to the fact that previously only I had seen my work I had become engrossed in it and I was unable to see an outsiders view. Once other people saw it they were able to make it clear how I could improve my work which then become obvious to me. It was particularly helpful to speak to media experts as they could give direct advice on what worked effectively rather than general advice on what to improve.

Evaluation Task 2

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NF87Wd0zOF0

Evaluation Task 1

 

 

My first frame is the title of our film, D.O.B. This is shown at the end of our trailer. Our title links to our USP of the use of a date to link the characters. This is important as it will further develop the mystery of the trailer. The phrase D.O.B also offers familiarity for our audience due to the fact that everyone has a birthday therefore they will all be able to relate. This will further draw in our demographic as it combines the pleasure of familiarity alongside the mystery presented. Through this juxtaposition our demographic will be encouraged to watch our film. This is a convention of stereotypical psychological thriller such as The Purge, as they have short titles which reveal clues about the film however they do not reveal the whole plot. This further develops the use of the theory of mystery. As our title is revealed from behind a black screen, we have a voiceover of our tagline which is ‘Keep Telling Yourself It’s Only a Date’. This, combined with the fact that the title is revealed from behind a black screen creates fear for our audience as it once again uses the theory of mystery alongside the generic fear of the dark.

My Second frame is a shot of my hand scraping down a glass pane at the abandoned barn. This is shown during our montage in order increase tension. This shot is particularly effective as it adds to the sense of mystery created through the trailer. The audience do not know what is happening the other side of that wall however it offers the connotations of death and danger. It is a dark shot with low key lighting which is conventional of horror thrillers as its taps into the generic fear of the dark, however the light coming through the window offers a beacon of hope as it suggests that escape is possible. This subconsciously keeps the audience engrossed as without hope there is not plot, therefore counter acts the darkness.

The third frame is a mid-shot showing all four main characters. It is close enough for the audience to be able to see the fear on their faces as they realise they are all born on the same day. This fear transfers directly to our audience which is important as a convention for our genre. If the characters were portrayed as happy and excited then they would not create the correct atmosphere for our film and so it is important that the actors had the correct facial expressions. This is linked directly to frame 5 where the characters are seen stood around when Hayley spots the ghost in the background. This is important due to their reactions to spotting the spirit. Only Hayley spots it however her level of fear confuses the other characters further, dragging the demographic into the mystery. Both of these shots are also dull and are based on low key lighting. This, alongside the ghost being a black figure presents the general convention of darkness being used to create fear in horror thriller trailers. Ghostly figures are often shown as dark figures, such as in ‘The Witch’ shadows are often used to represent witches, and the black goat is used to represent Lucifer, the devil.

My fourth frame is a shot of one of my intertitles saying ‘Stranded in the middle of nowhere’. The text itself offers the connotations of danger due to the fact they are stranded in an unknown location. This is stereotypically dangerous as you are unaware of your surroundings and the person attacking you may have more extensive knowledge.  The word ‘stranded’ also suggests danger as if you are stranded you are stuck and unable to get help. This theory is often used in horror thrillers such as Saw, where characters are stranded and trapped within a building set up for them. This scared the audience as they will imagine themselves in this situation, and no one wants to be stranded in unfamiliar territory.

My sixth frame is the institutional information from the end of my trailer. I have included this as, despite it not being directly part of the trailer, it is presented in a stereotypical manner. I have used a dark background, similar to my title screen, to allow myself to further develop my use of the fear of the dark. This links directly to frame 2 through the use of a dark background and light text to offer a beacon of hope. If the entire screen was dark then the audience would feel all four characters were doomed and would most likely die. However, through the use of bright text you receive the connotations that there is still hope. Also, the text is bold and clear to read as it is only shown for a short amount of time. If it was difficult to read the audience would not be able to understand the important information shown to them in this shot. It will also help increase awareness for our film as there are links to our social media sites and website at the bottom of the screen. This will increase hype for our film before it is released.

Frame’s 7 and 8 are from my magazine and film cover and link through my colour scheme. I used the colour red in both titles due to its direct connotations of danger and blood as it fits my genre of horror thriller. This allows for me to create a sense of danger across all three of my media productions linking them all together. The use of red stands out on my black background and draws immediate attention to it. I used a black background in order to have synergy across all thee texts, due to the fact that the title screen in the film and both ancillary tasks all tap into the fear of the dark. By using this fear our demographic will be constantly on edge and will be drawn deeper into the mystery around the characters. If I had varied the colour of the background then my media campaign would become disjointed and would not have the desired effect. Frame 8 also has my tagline on it, which links it to the title screen in the trailer due to the voiceover reading our tagline in this scene. This further develops the synergy and brings the media texts closer together in synchronisation.

My final frame is an establishing shot of the barn in which many of the events take place. This is an important shot as it allows for our audience to get their bearings and become aware of the situation presented to our characters. If we did not introduce them to the location then they would become less involved in the film and would struggle to relate to the characters. The location is shown on a dull day, with it clouded over, as we did not want it to be shown as a positive place to be in. The weather conditions mirror the situation our characters are in, bleak. The barn itself is surrounded by trees which further develop the convention of the characters being stranded and trapped. If the barn was in a large open area then there would be ways of escape however they are in fact trapped. This shot is part of a series of shots of the barn cutting closer and closer. This gives the audience the sensation that they are being dragged into the same situation as the characters, and this is followed by our montage which increases the intensity and engrosses our demographic.

First Day Editing

Editing this film was difficult as we were changing platforms. Previously we have worked on final cut pro therefore the change meant we had to familiarise ourselves with new software. We adapted quickly after a short lesson from a teacher familiar with this software, however there have been several times when we have been slowed down by our lack of experience on this software. With Georgia being the main editor in the group she found this most testing as it was her that took the lead role in the area. Problems we encountered seem relatively simple such as adding zooms, making text move and finding certain transitions. However, now that the film is finished I feel we have all benefited from using this software as we are all now fluent in the use of two types of editing software.

Planning - Sound Effects

We originally planned to have 2 sound effects in order to compliment our trailer as we did not feel the soundtrack alone would be enough. We wanted one when the ghost disappears and one at the end of the trailer to end emphatically. We chose 'crashing metal' as we believed it would have the desired emphatic effect. However, when placed during the trailer on the scene where the spirit disappears it clashed too boldly with the music therefore we were not able to include this. The use of this sound effect at the end of the trailer was effective though. It allows us to cut the music off ending it cleanly with one noise.

Applying Representation Theories to D.O.B

Stereotypes

Our four main characters are all teenager therefore are still seen as young and vulnerable. This is an important part of our trailer as this allows us to create the sense of danger needed around these main characters. The antagonist is a dark, tall figure which is stereotypically intimidating allowing for us to give the inference that the four teenagers are in danger.

Present

Our target audience is aged 15-25 therefore all the characters present fit into this age group. Throughout our trailer the only character shown outside of this age group is the woman who offers help to Hayley. The fact that she is an adult offers reassurance and comfort to the younger generation, however due to the fact that she is female it is not as reassuring as if a male came into play.

Absent

Adult males are absent in our film as this adds to the sense of danger for the younger generation and the audience. Due to the lack of adult males the characters have no one of real reassurance to turn to and therefore their situation and the danger of it is further emphasised.

World Created

Thrillers stereotypically create a world of danger and violence and that is what we aimed for with D.O.B. We aimed to do this through the use of a spirit which would allow for us to tap into our demographics fear of the unknown. This is effective as almost everyone is afraid of the unknown, particularly the younger generation as they are stereotypically not and knowledgeable as the older generations.

What is Valued

Relationships are the key value in our film. This is shown early on through the use of relationships between the characters and their partners are what put them all in the same location. However, the importance of building effective friendships quickly is shown as crucial when they are stranded in the barn and need to work together in order to deal with the situation.