Evaluation question 4

Evaluation question 4 – how did you use media technologies
in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In the research stage I would often go on YouTube on Apple
Mac’s and view lots of different trailers and analyse them, this meant that I
was able to get a good idea of what
conventional film trailers were like. I would also use the Mac’s to look at
various different film magazines and poster, this gave me an idea of what I
would need to make my product like to be effective. In the planning stage I
used Photoshop to try out different ideas and effects on my magazine cover and
film poster, I tried out different fonts and it helped me decide which one to
use as I was able to see what areas of the final product would look like before
I had started production. I also did the same with final cut express when
planning my actual trailer, I practiced using the different transitions and
decide which ones would be most effective on a horror film trailer. I also used
a digital camera and went out and took a variety of different pictures for the
front cover and poster, therefore I was able to see a variety of different
shots and get an idea of what type of pictures would be the best for my
products, this also helped me when it came to filming because I had an idea of
which shots looked effective. In the construction stage I used Photoshop and
Final cut express, this was very useful as these are top of the range pieces of
software, I used Final cut to edit my film trailer, using this software allowed
me to produce the best possible trailer because I had access to all the
transitions and effects provided by Final cut as well as the editing tools I
was able to use. I used Photoshop to produce my magazine cover and film
trailer, using this software enabled me to use a variety of different effects
on both of my products, such as font and picture effects, this meant that I was
able to produce two professional and eye-catching products, it also meant that
I could work quickly and not have to go to great lengths to include effects in
my work. In the evaluation stage I have
used the Microsoft office software to produce my evaluation, I have also used
blogger to get information to include in it. Using this software allowed me to
work quickly and effectively on my evaluation. I am also using Slideshare which
is an internet site that allows me to upload PowerPoint’s to my blog, this
means I can use a variety of different programmes rather than just writing
everything on Microsoft word which could lead to my evaluation to become boring
and it will also show a lack of use for the media products available.

Using the software that I used has many advantages and some
disadvantages, for example when I used final cut express it allowed me to
produce a good quality film trailer as it is industry standard software. It has
all the effects that I would need to produce a film trailer which means no one
else would have an advantage over me because they had access to better
software. Also it is simple to use once
you know how to fully use it. One disadvantage is that it takes a while to get
to grips with all the different effects available and it also takes a while to
learn how to use the editing tools, this could use up time where you could be
doing research or planning. Another disadvantage I experienced was in the early
stages of my editing something went wrong and it did not save my work, luckily
it I had only edited about 10 seconds of film so I was able to remember what I
had done, however if I had completed a large part of trailer something like
this could be disastrous. Another piece of software I used was Photoshop, this
is a very good piece of software and it has many advantages, it is very simple
to use and does not take long to get to grips with the effects and the tools
that are available to use, it enabled me to produce two products that looked
professional because of the effects I was able to use. As it is quick to use I
was able to produce both of my ancillary products quickly and effectively. The
only disadvantage of using Photoshop is that I do not feel that there is a wide
enough range of fonts actually installed on the programme, although there are a
lot of fonts they are all fairly similar this meant that I had to take time out
to look for different fonts o the internet and then download them, this took
away form time that I could have spent producing my products.

The hardware that I used to produce my media product was
generally very good, I mainly used the Apple Mac’s, the advantages of this are
that the software I used such as Final cut all work very well on the Mac’s,
this meant that they ran smoothly and the programmes do not seem to freeze for
a few seconds like they occasionally do on pc’s. Other advantages are that it
is very simple to transfer things on to them, for example from a camcorder to the Mac, this meant that I did
not have to wait a long time while all my footage transferred, this allowed me
to work quickly. There are some
disadvantages of using Apple Mac’s, for example it would sometimes websites
that I needed to use would not load or work properly because I was on a Mac,
this meant that I would have to log off and find a pc to go on the website on,
this took time away from things like research and planning. Other hardware that
I used was the camcorder, the advantages to using this was that I t had many
features on it that assisted my filming, for example it had a built in torch
which enabled me to film in the dark, this was very useful as I am filming a
horror trailer. Another advantage was that It was a high definition camera
which enabled me to film the best quality footage possible.

The technologies that I used allowed me to produce work of a
high standard, they also enabled me to work quickly and effectively when timing
was very important. If it wasn’t for the technologies I have been able to use
then my product would not be of a high standard as I would not have had things
such as the editing tools available to me.

I feel that my work has developed since AS, this is mainly
due to me having a better understanding of the products I had to produce and
also a greater knowledge of how to use the media technologies. When I worked
with Final cut express during my AS year I had little understanding of how to
use it, however this year my understanding has greatly increased and I was able
to produce a good quality media product using the skills I had developed since
AS. Also my understanding of things such as target audience has increased since
my AS year, this enabled me to quickly pick out a good target audience that
would allow me to maximise the effectiveness of my media product, whereas last
year it took me a while to work out which type of audience I should try to aim
at, I believe that this demonstrates a development in my understanding of certain
parts of media. Overall I believe that since last year my knowledge of media
and media production has increased, also I seem to have a better understanding
of media in general, all this has enabled me to produce a good quality media
product.

Evaluation question 3

Evaluation question 3 – what have you learned from audience
feedback?

My target audience is 15 – 30 year old males, this is
because these are the type of people that are most likely to be interested in
the genre of my film. This is a good target audience because people in this age
group will go to the cinema more often than older people, they are also likely
to use other media products where my film trailer could be shown. Also people
in the younger part of the target audience age group will have more free time
to see the film. People in my target audience will also got to shops such as
HMV where the film poster could be displayed and the magazine be sold. My media
product can be enjoyed by females in this age bracket however I felt it was
important to be specific when deciding on a target audience.

I have used audience feedback a lot throughout my project,
for example during production I would listen to comments made by people who had
seen the product during the production stage and change things that needed
changing if someone had commented on a particular area of my product, this was
very useful as it allowed me to see problems with my product and change them
while I had a chance, this also helped me to make my product as effective as
possible. When producing my text’s I was influenced by my target audience, for
example I thought carefully about what colours I would need to use to attract
my target audience and also types of language on my film poster and magazine
cover that would stand out to my target audience if they were to just glance at
one of my ancillary products. Other ways in which I tried to attract my
audience were for example, advertising a free poster on the front of my
magazine, people in my target audience like to have posters on their walls and
therefore this could be a way of persuading them to buy my products. The main way I tried to attract my target
audience was through the genre of the products, I chose to use a horror genre
because it is the most popular genre within my target audience and by bringing
something new to the genre I felt that it would easier to attract my audience
than If I had made for example, a love story.

I used a number of different technologies during my
production such as Photoshop and final cut, I also used the Apple Mac’s and
camcorders. Using these technologies meant that I could work quickly and to the
highest standard. Using these
technologies meant that I could work effectively and add things to the products
that I wouldn’t have been able to if I hadn’t had these technologies
available. Also the programmes that I
used such as Photoshop and final cut are what all the other film trailer and
magazine producer’s use, this meant that I could work on a level playing field
and not have to worry about the quality of my product being poor because I was
not able to use the best production tools.

Overall I am very happy with my finished product, however
there are a few things that I would do differently, for example on my magazine
the colour scheme I had chosen did not really go with the main image, therefore
I would consider using some different colours next time and probably getting
the main image before I actually begin production so I know what colour scheme
will work. Another thing that I would do differently is at the end my film
trailer he music just stops rather than fades out and I would make it fade out
if doing it again, especially because someone who viewed it commented on it, it
would make the trailer sound more professional.

Evaluation question 2

Evaluation question 2 – how effective is the

View more PowerPoint from samc94

Evaluation question 1

Evaluation: question 1 – in what ways does your media
product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?

The genre of my
product is horror, there is also an element of it being a thriller as well. I
have used some conventions of typical horror films in my trailer as I wanted my
trailer to be instantly recognisable as a trailer for a horror film, however I
have used some fairly unique features as well. The things that I have used that
are similar to other horror films are, for example, the music in my trailer, it
is typical of a lot of horror film trailer as it is slow paced and eerie, it
creates a scary atmosphere and adds to the mystery already created by the
actual scenes of the trailer, this is a good example of typical conventions of
a horror film trailer. Another example
of conventions of other film trailers I have used is the slow pace of the
trailer, the transitions are quite slow, and at times the camera movement, this
helps to add to the suspense of the trailer. My magazine and film poster use a
lot of conventions of other media products of their kind, all magazines have
very similar features and I felt that trying to be innovative with the magazine
cover would have been risky as it could have looked tacky, instead I used
features that are common on all magazines, a large title, and a main picture in
the middle with little bits of key information around the edges, however I did
try to make the cover stand out by using eye-catching colours. My poster is
similar to other film posters in terms of the positioning of the text on the
poster and also the style, I did not make my poster too busy, which is common
for film posters, as I just wanted the film title to stand out therefore people
will be certain of what it is advertising and they will definitely see what I
want them to see rather than being distracted by other parts of the poster. I have also done some things differently, I
think it is important for a trailer to have some individuality so it will stand
out in people’s minds. An example of this is that I have filmed the trailer
from a first person point of view, this adds to the reality of the trailer and
makes it seem real rather than just like a normal film. It also makes the
trailer unique and therefore it will help people remember it, although other
people have done this before it is still fairly rare for a film to be made like
this. Something that I did differently with my poster was that there were no
people on the image that I used, there is just a picture of the forest, I did
this because I wanted it to create the same sense of mystery as the trailer
does and also give people an idea that the film is in a wilderness. I think that it was important to add something
new to the genre as a lot of horror films are made that are very similar and
therefore are not that successful, I felt that it was important to make
something that would stand out so I considered filming in a different way and
decided to film form a first person point of view. I think this was a good idea
as my trailer seems to stand out to people more than others; it makes the
trailer more interesting and therefore will encourage people to view the film
that it is advertising. I think that my innovations work effectively because of
some of the feedback I have received from the viewers, people who viewed my
trailer said that it stood out in their mind from other trailers after they had
viewed it, they also said that the trailer seemed unique and was very good at
creating a sense of mystery which made them want to see the full film, it was
very pleasing when they said this as it was what I had wanted when producing
the trailer. They also commented on the magazine cover and film poster,
regarding the magazine people said that it looked professional and that the
colours used made it stand out, they also said that the text on the front
cover, such as “exclusive reviews” was interesting and that it would make
people want to read the magazine. When asked about the film poster people said
that it was eye-catching and that the image used created a feeling of mystery.
I personally believe that my product is effective because it does everything
that I wanted it to do during production, from the feedback I received I feel
that I have achieved my goals in terms of making this media product especially
because viewers have commented on the mystery created by the product, this is
vital when producing a horror film trailer.

Ancillary task: Film poster

Ancillary task: Magazine cover

Plot

My film will be called 'MAYDAY' this is because mayday is a distress call mainly used by pilots when they are in trouble. My film is about a pilot who crashes his plane into a russian forest, once he has escaped form the wreckage he must make his way through the forest to try and find some sort of civilisation, while doing this he is filming on his surveillance camera, this is why my film will be filmed form a first person perspective. While making his way through the forest he is abducted by a mysterious killer. The story then moves on to him being held captive and the things that happen to him while he is being held. He then attempts various potentially fatal escape attmepts before finally escaping and finding civilisation.

Target audience

My target audience is 15-30 year old males, however my film could possibly be enjoyed by any man or woman above the age of 15. The reason that I have decided 15-30 year old males as my target audience is because the genre of my film is horror and thriller, these genre's are most commonly enjoyed by young males, and therefore I have tried to make all my products appealing to these people. I have designed my magazine using colour schemes that will appeal to younger people as I think that it is unlikely that my product will appeal to an older audience. Another reason that I have decided to make my target audience 15-30 year old males is because young people go to the cinema and use media products, whereas older people tend not to go to the cinema very much, this will help my media product be more succesfull as more people will view it.

Product analysis: film poster

This film poster is very simple, alot of film posters are and they will often have very little on them apart form a picture and film title. This film poster is particualrly eye catching as the picture on it is quite shocking, it shows a very famous land mark in one of the worlds most famous cities being destroyed, with the statue of liberty being burned in the foreground and a destroyed new york city in the backgorund it makes for a very shocking and eye catching film poster. This is good because it makes people want to view the film it is advertising, when people see this they will want ot know exactly how it happened and therefore they will watch the film. The title is at the bottom, but it still stands out, however it is important that the picture is the main part of the poster. there is also a line of text at the top which says "some thing has found us", this is a very good line as it give's people a hint as to what might have happened however it is still a mystery, this will intrigue people even more and make them really want to watch the film.

Product analysis: magazine

Film magazine covers are often all very similar in the ways that they are layed out, this magazine cover is know diffrent, the large title across the top seems to dominate the cover, this is because the magazine company want to make sure their name is recognised and will stand out when on the shelf. There is a large main picture in the middle which is for the main feature of the magazine. There is also information around the edges of the cover which show what else is going to be in the magazine. There is'nt that much information on the cover it is more pictures and bold writing, this is because it is more about making the magazine stand out than having information on the cover. Words like "massive" are used as this will make their target audience believe that it is very important that they read the magazine.