EVALUATION - How did you use technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

TRAILER- what have you learnt from audience feedback?

To gather some audience feedback I asked my media studies class to give their responses on what they liked about my film trailer and what improvements they would suggest. The responses I got were that they really enjoyed my choices, the variety of shots I used and the filters/effects used on some of the shots (the reduced greyscale effect). The improvements they suggested were that the dialogue volume was too quiet and at some points to difficult to hear because of the music therefore the music volume needed to be decreased. Other suggestions were that I didn't need to use four pieces of music soundtrack and I could've made the death more evident. 

What I have learnt from this feedback is that if I was to carry this task out again I would use higher quality technology as the dialogue was not clear enough to an audience and it had an overall effect on my trailer as some parts of the plot were unclear. 

I also learnt from my audience feedback that the plot wasn't very clear in other scenes (the gun shot scene). As an improvement I would ask more people to take part in appearing in my trailer, that way it would of been more clear to an audience that a death had taken place due to a cross fire. 

Even though my audience feedback consists on using less music soundtracks I still really enjoyed my combination of the four pieces of music, however I would agree that I could of stuck with three.

Overall I learnt that my film trailer appeals to also the female audience - 

Above is a printscreen taken from some feedback after I posted my trailer onto Facebook. 

"Can't wait to see the whole film Marnie" was actually quoted from a woman 40+, which is the complete opposite to my target audience, therefore I learnt that both men and women may wish to see the final film and also people over the age of 28. 

To come to conclusion from the feedback I gathered, if I had to opportunity to do this project again I would:

• Use HD quality technology 
• Insert voiceovers so that dialogue is clearer
• And to include more characters so that the plot was more understandable to an audience

MAGAZINE- What have you learnt from audience feedback?

The video I inserted above is a montage of clips taken from when I interviewed some people asking them to give their honest opinions of my magazine cover design. The first person I decided to ask was my Mum. I know that she doesn't fit into my target audience and the reasons I asked her about my magazine poster was to see if it could also attract a female audience to widen the audience that my magazine appeals to. The second person I decided to ask was my Dad, he also doesn't fit into the target audience as he is not between the ages of 13-28. I wanted to ask him on his opinion to see whether my magazine could appeal to an older male audience. The third person I asked was Graham Trotter, a fellow classmate of mine. I asked him for his opinion as he fits into my target audience bracket and is also a media student therefore he would be able to identify certain techniques. And lastly I asked Mr Skipp, a teacher at my sixth form. I asked him for his opinion as he also fits into the target audience bracket, however is at the higher end of the age scale of 13-28, rather than asking another student.

What I have learnt from this audience feedback is that different age demographics want different things on a magazine cover. Both middle aged interviewees wanted to see more colours used (Sharon and Mr Skipp), my youngest interviewee wanted to reposition one of my conventions as it was interfering with the main image, therefore the image was the most important convention to him. And my oldest interviewee wanted to see less text used on the cover, as once again that was also interfering with the main image.

Another thing that I learnt from this audience feedback is that the main image seemed to be the most important convention to all of my interviewees as both Sharon and Mr Skipp suggested that more colour for the main image would increase the magazine covers overall appearance and both Graham and Glen suggested moving some other conventions so that you could see more of the main image, and that is how they would improve my cover. 

The last thing I learnt from my audience feedback is that I created an overall good product. Every interviewee had something positive to say about either my main image, usage of texts, conventions and layout. I also learnt about my technical capability to create a realistic media product. Every interviewee was able to notice the skills used and commented on the editing and layout that I designed. 

To come to conclusion, I am fully satisfied with the feedback I got back and my final magazine design and if I had to make any changes it would probably be the use of colour and create two covers, a black and white special edition and a full colour 
version for others that would be attracted to a more colourful image.

POSTER - What have you learnt from audience feedback?

What I have learnt from audience feedback is that you cannot please everyone, even individuals that fit into my target audience. 

When I uploaded my poster designs onto Facebook others that did not fit into my target audience had an impact on my final decision as many people who commented were girls and some were 30+, this goes against my target audience of males aged between 13-28. I also learnt that not choosing a specific socio-economic status allowed my audience to stay rather wide and not narrow my target audience down any further. 

From the responses I got when I asked my target audience on their opinions for my final poster design the feedback I got was overall very positive as all 4 males aged 17-18 ranked my poster design an 8/10 or higher which I am very satisfied with.

So from the audience feedback I gathered from my poster design I have learnt that I should ask a range of ages when it comes to gathering feedback for my magazine cover and trailer because I did get very similar responses, therefore by asking males that do not attend my sixth form could help me get a more accurate rating and opinion of my media products. 

From my audience feedback there isn't much I would consider changing however, Graham did mention how I had left out an age rating. The purpose of this was to encourage my audience to view the Facebook page or the hashtag Twitter trend to gain more information on "One Way Road' and that way they could find out the age rating, so by not using an age rating would have created more audience interaction. But listening to Grahams comment on the video did make me think that an age rating would've been suitable on my film poster for the audience, especially for when the film has already been released.

EVALUATION- How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Please click link to view my Prezzi as my answer to this evaluation question.

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

My trailer for the film "One Way Road" as many conventions which you would find from a real media product. In this post I will discuss the conventions used and whether I have developed or challenged them in any way. 

Conventions you would find in a typical trailer would be;

• A range of different camera shots and angles
• Music soundtrack
• Sound effects
• Titles
• Voice overs/dialogue
• Transitions

Camera Shots/Angles

A trailer consists of many different camera angles and shots therefore I did not wish to challenge this convention in any way as I thought it was vital for the audience to see a range of shots as it allows them to see different things, for example; a close up allows the audience to see emotion and wide shots and establishing shots allow the audience to see the setting or a group of people in action. Below are some screenshots I took from my trailer showing a range of camera shots and angles I used. The examples shown are; 1. Wide shot from behind, 2. Medium two shot and 3. Low angle medium shot.

1.

2.

3.

Below are some images taken from YouTube from the trailer for Noah as evidence that trailers use a range of different camera shots and angles, examples shown are; Medium shot, Low angle wide shot and Wide shot. 

Music soundtracks

Within a film trailer not just one music soundtrack is used, there are many different ones to portray different emotions and events occurring at the time in the trailer. I did not challenge this convention in any way as I decided to use four pieces of music throughout my trailer, however I did develop this convention during the process of the editing stage as I originally only planned to use three soundtracks, yet when I pieced my trailer together I felt that it needed that extra piece of music to add some edge to the training/try out scenes. The final pieces of music I used in the trailer were; 

Adian Coker - Suicide Drive

Chris Brown - Don't Judge Me Instrumental

Outkast - Knowing (added piece of music)

Kid Ink - Walk in the Club 

Below are two examples of film trailers which include a range of different music soundtracks. "The Other Woman" AND "21 Jump Street" 

Sound effects
Sound effects are not so much a vital convention however you will find them in every trailer as they can set the scene (a noisy crowd in a city setting), describe an event without any visuals (crashing noise in a blackout to portray a car crash), and to portray emotion (a scream during a gun shooting), therefore I did not challenge, neither develop this convention. I used sound effects in my trailer as I felt there where many events and scenes that needed them to get events and settings across to an audience, also I feel that sound effects increase the amount of realism portrayed. The sound effects I used came from iMovie, these were; a school bell, a school crowd and the sound of a character kicking at football. I really wanted a gun sound effect for the shooting scene within my trailer, so I went onto YouTube and downloaded my own sound to use for my trailer. The YouTube video below is the sound effect I used.

Titles
Every trailer has titles and the titles I believe is what makes a trailer, without them a trailer could be mistaken for a short movie or just a bunch of clips put together from the film, which is why I did not want to challenge this convention. I used titles to in between clips to dramatise the events for example, when my main character had to leave home I used "A JOURNEY HE HAS TO TAKE ALONE". The purpose of the titles I used also inform the audience of the events taking place when in places it isn't most obvious. In my storyboard I didn't originally insert many title pages however when editing it came naturally to include them into it. I also used title pages to present the production company 'Three Lions Productions" and the opening green screen found from a high percentage of film trailers. Below are print screens of my examples.

The font I used for the titles is simple yet appealing to the eye, and the use of capital letters signifies an importance of the words chosen. 





Voice overs/dialogue
I did not use a voice over for the creation of my film trailer, my reasoning for not wanting to use this convention is because the use of a voice over exterminates all realism portrayed through the use of a 3rd person narrator. Even though I didn't wish to use a voice over, I still used dialogue within my film trailer.

Transitions 
And lastly, transitions. I did use transitions in my film trailer, taking each shot to the next. The reasons I decided to use specific transitions and not challenge the convention is so that each shot could travel to the next in a smooth and natural manner. One transition I used was a fade to white after the gun shot, the purpose of this was to symbolise death and also the "light at the end of the tunnel", meaning a new start for the main character after a traumatising event. Other than the fades, I used a jump cut transition, the purpose of using the jump cut represents realism as it symbolises the blink of an eye, making the transitions between shots ore natural. 

Overall I used many conventions you would find in a real media product when creating my trailer and I believe that the conventions I have put together have worked extremely well and my trailer's editing process and final product was a success. 

Mise En Scene
Mise en scene is another convention in which you would expect when viewing a film trailer. The mise en scene allows an audience to identify the plot and genre of the film, the mise en scene consists of; set design, props, make up, costume, lighting and positioning of character and object within a frame. I have not challenged this convention in anyway as I feel that it is vital to include mise-on-scene for the purpose of the audiences overall understanding of the film, as without understanding it is unlikely that the audience will want to view the film. My film trailer clearly shows that I have used and thought about mise-en-scene on scene to a great extent. I considered appropriate locations to film such as the sports centre astro turf, train station and inside the school. I also used appropriate costume and make up such as football and sports attire, such as shorts, football shirts and trainers. The props I used also represent the genre and storyline with the use of footballs, football goals and sports bags.  

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

My magazine cover featuring my film "One Way Road" uses many conventions of real media products throughout the entire design. All the conventions used have been used for the purpose of attracting the audience into purchasing my magazine over others that are similar. The conventions I chose to use are; Masthead, main image, tagline, issue number, date, unique selling points, barcode, main cover line and other cover lines, a website for media convergence, a specific colour scheme and direct mode of address.

Main Image/Direct Mode of Address/Colour Scheme 
The main image is one convention I did not challenge, I discovered that many magazine covers consist of main images of the main characters, usually a close up or medium shot is used as seen in the examples below, and that is to gain as much communication between the product and audience as possible (direct mode of address) and my magazine consists of this particular convention.

 
Direct mode of address is another convention I decided not to challenge due to the fact it is a major importance for audience communication, therefore I used this as part of my magazine cover design. 

One convention I did challenge was the use of colour for my main image. Because I was attracted to a black and white image to give off that classical/special edition effect I drifted from the typical coloured image, therefore I used a black and white filter on my photograph to give it that specific look I was attracted to. 

  Masthead/Tagline

I used both of these conventions and did not challenge either of them. Firstly my masthead is positioned within the top third, which is where you would usually find you masthead, another feature I did not challenge about the masthead is how clear the font is. On magazine covers the Masthead is the largest piece of text visible, therefore I made that clear and used a large and bold font. My tagline is also another convention I used. My magazine consists of the tagline "THE ULTIMATE EXCLUSIVE" and is positioned at the very top of the design, similar to the example on the right. I decided not to challenge this convention or develop it as it was not necessary. The tagline gives the audience something extra, usually introducing them into something spectacular to persuade them to purchase the product by using buzz words such as "Mind blowing" "Ultimate" and "Exclusive" and by positioning the tag line at the top  represents its important to a reader.      

Main Cover line/Other Cover lines
The main cover line is the second largest piece of text placed onto a magazine cover as seen in all examples above taken from my research and I decided it was necessary to not challenge or develop this convention. The purpose of the large next is so that it is one of the first features the audience will see. The cover line informs the reader on what are guaranteed to find inside. I wanted to make sure my fonts were large bold and clear so that the audience knew that this edition was specific to "One Way Road"  and to represent how large the film was going to become. The other cover lines are generally written in a smaller font, this is so the eyes are not too drawn away from the main cover line and I intended to use this convention also. 

Unique Selling Points
Unique selling points are the elements which persuade the audience into purchasing the product, usually offering them something in return. I have not challenged this convention as I feel it is one of the most important as it automatically attracts the audience and retains their attention when they feel they are being rewarded if they purchase the magazine. I used many unique selling points to ensure my magazine was appealing to my audience. My unique selling points included a free poster, a free collectors copy of another version of One Way Roads film poster and the issue also includes the chance to win a holiday to California. 

Media Convergence 
Media convergence allows an audience to view extra information or the magazine uses technologies. I wanted to use media convergence as it shows my understanding for modern day media products therefore I did not wish to challenge this convention and decided to include a website link somewhere on my design. I ended up placing it within the bottom third in the corner. This is so that the link is visible to an audience however doesn't interfere with the main third consisting of the main image, main cover line and direct mode of address. 

Others 
Other conventions you will find on real media products (magazine covers) are features such as a barcode, issue number and date of release. All these conventions are necessary features as a barcode allows scanning when being purchased and a issue number and release date is for collectors/ a regular audience purposes, allowing them to know whether they haven't purchased a certain issue. I did't challenge this convention due to that fact that all these conventions are needed on a magazine cover design and are vital elements for continuous buyers. 

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

The film poster I designed for “One Way Road” has many conventions from which I have found from my research into film posters. The conventions used all have a purpose with developed and challenging features to attract and entice an audience into purchasing my poster, the conventions I used are; Main image, film title, actors names, slogan, star ratings, billing block rule of thirds and colour scheme. I then added media convergence to my second design (Facebook link and Twitter hash tag).

MAIN IMAGE/DIRECT MODE OF ADDRESS/RULE OF THIRDS

When I first designed my film poster I took many photographs so I could then decide on an effective main image. 

After experimenting with four different images, this is the image I wanted for my final piece. 

One convention that my poster challenges is direct mode of address. From my research I 

identified that many film posters main image use this convention to attract and entice their audience with direct eye contact for communication. In both examples to the left and right, direct mode of address is used to communicate with the audience for "SAFE HOUSE" and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". 

My film posters main image challenges this convention, as it is non-existent. Out of the range of photographs, I felt that this image would work perfectly with this genre, as the image clearly represents that the main character is “turning his back on his past and overcoming that for his future” which informs the audience of what the storyline could possibly be about without giving too much away. 

From my research I discovered that many main images for film posters use photographs/images taken of characters from certain scenes in a film, however I found that I was attracted to the film posters with more artistic features and creativity such as the posters for "Black Swan", "Let Me in" and "The dark Knight".

Because of this I developed the convention of using creativity within my film poster and edited my image using a filter named “Posterize” to give my main image a pop art effect, using an online photo editor called "fotoflexer". 

One convention that I have used effectively that is visible to an audience is the rule of thirds. Within the bottom third I have inserted my film title, followed by the slogan, star rating, and billing block. I haven’t challenged the positioning of these conventions because I feel that the eye is automatically drawn towards the center image, the eyes working their way down towards the bottom third where the main bulk of conventions are found and then up into the top third.

TEXT/TITLE/ACTORS NAMES/SLOGAN/BILLING BLOCK

The film title is found within the bottom third. My reasoning for writing my film title in the font “You Are Loved” created by Kimberly Geswein is because of its urban design with graffiti and distressed like design .  http://www.dafont.com/you-are-loved.font The font is also san serif therefore the audience could easily read this font.

Due to the fact the genre of my film is a crime/sport/drama about a young person being brought up from a tough background who leads on to achieve something in life I feel that the urban flare was necessary to describe the genre and struggle to the audience. It was also inspired by the font used for "Coach Carter", another sports/drama. 

From my research into positioning of actors names on film posters I discovered that many posters use the top corners to insert the names of the main actors, as seen in the examples on your left and right. I decided to use this convention as the purpose of this allows the text to not interfere with the main image and from the rule of thirds theory, the actors names is the last thing that the audience would see, therefore if the audience can familiarise themselves with actors they are generally more interested in.

When I was first designing my film posters I didn’t originally insert a slogan due to the fact I didn’t feel that the poster needed one. However, after completing my final design I felt there was room for improvement and felt that the poster was a little bare. To insert something which has an impact on the audience is what I wanted, so I carried out some more research and decided I found slogans quite intriguing, for example Inceptions film poster consists of the slogan “Your mind is the scene of the crime”. After analysing that particular film poster I realised that the slogan was the convention that drew me in to it. Before finalising my poster my slogan was originally “Follow the path you desire”. When I looked at my poster I didn’t feel like my slogan was attracting and enticing my audience so I asked my fellow classmates and they agreed with me completely. After looking into my film poster and storyline itself I came up with “Die today, live tomorrow”. This was the slogan that caught my attention and I felt that this slogan worked completely to fit my films storyline, therefore I did not challenge this convention in the end as my ideas changed and developed and I felt that my slogan added power and strength to my poster.

Another convention, which will be found on my film poster and many others, is the billing block. The billing block is like the blurb of the film poster, informing the audience of participants of the creation of the film such as; director, producers, distribution company, editors etc. I have not challenged this convention in any way at all as its simplicity of its layout presents the actual image of a film poster, separating them from looking like book covers or photographs etc. 

COLOUR SCHEME AND LAYOUT

After doing some research on film posters I decided to look into certain genres, character identities and colour schemes. My research showed me that many films consisting of heroic characters or inspirational characters have a very similar colour scheme, positing and layout. As you can see from the montage below, found from http://imgur.com/gallery/jrmWj there are very distinct similarities. First of all, as you can see there isn't much of a physical appearance/identity shown of the main characters due to the positing (back to the audience, lack of direct mode of address). I got the impression that many of these film posters use this convention as the character or the film itself has something to hide. I decided to develop this convention and use it with my own film poster as my character also has something that he wishes not to share, his heartbreaking past.

I also discovered from this poster montage that the posters use very similar colours, for example; Harry Potter, Batman, Inception and The Watchmen all use strong blues. I was really enticed by these film posters due to their colour schemes as I felt the the darkness was portrayed by using blacks and navy blues however, the bright and attractive blues drew me in to look further and gives the impression to expect more than darkness from this film and that there is a positive and a light to it. I felt that this colour scheme was perfect for portraying my film as the darkness represents my characters distraught past/background and the powerful, bright blues would represent the achievements and obstacles my character has to overcome, which is why I used this final colour scheme for my final film poster.

Above was my first final design however I was not fully satisfied when it came to audience feedback, therefore I added some extra conventions. I looked into more modern conventions and discovered website links and Twitter hash tags. I decided these were the conventions I wished to use to attract all audiences and allow them to gain extra knowledge of the film using their own research and media convergence. I stuck to my colour theme and used a light blue shade to add my link and hash tag, www.facebook/OWR.com and #OneWayRoad. I am fully satisfied with this convention and didn't challenge the new feature in any way. And lastly, I decided my poster needed a slight hint of colour, so I changed the colour of the star rating to yellow. I chose the colour yellow as it went perfectly with my poster for its appearance and I also discovered that the colour went well through my research and found the poster for "The Watchmen".

Above is my final poster design and I am completely happy with it. I am satisfied the with overall layout, design and overall presentation.