Taking more photos...

My Media Studies teacher pointed out to me yesterday that the film shown in our teaser trailer was split into two parts: the modern day world and the 19th century era. This made me think about the photos that I had previously taken, and the fact that all of them were of the part of the film which was set in the 1800's. I decided that as our target audience are 18-35 year old viewers it is vital to have photos of Sarah included, especially on the poster which advertises the film. It needs to appeal to the target audience, so a combination of the two images will mean that they would take more interest in it, whereas a Victorian style image alone would probably not catch their attention. I feel that these additional images will make my overall promotional package better, as the aspect of the flashback used in our teaser trailer is a key part to the storyline.

Images of Sarah for my poster and magazine

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Taking photos...

Whilst I was at Aske Hall and Kiplin Hall I took photos for my magazine cover and promotional poster, as these are needed to complete the package. This was good as Frances, Jon and Peter were all in costume, and the locations were perfect. It made sense to take advantage of what I had whilst it was there, as we only have the costumes for a certain period of time, and we may never get chance to go back to the same locations. I took one type of photo at Kiplin Hall, where I used the staircase for my shot. At Aske Hall I used the outdoor archway and bench so that I have two different photos for my poster and magazine cover, which will both appeal to our target audience.

Magazine Analysis: Total Film

On this particular cover the title is done so that the 'Total' is placed inside the 'F' for 'film'. A much smaller font is used for this, with the word 'Film' being emphasised, therefore allowing the target audience to know of the nature of the content within the magazine. The colour scheme is black, yellow and white within the last two colours I listed being the most predominant and eye-catching for the audience. The image on the front cover is a long shot, showing the relationship between the two characters and how close they are- this is placed slightly more to the right than the centre. This would generally mean that our eyes were directed to this side of the page, to pick up on features within the magazine. However the size of the font at the left-hand side of the page balances this so that we focus on the cover as a whole- the text at this side of the page is nearly as big as the title, and this draws our attention to it. This cover also uses terminology linked with films- "starring"- as well as the use of ellipsis which creates suspense in films. These words re-enforce the genre of the magazine, and it allows them to put across their features in an interesting way. The bar code is located along the right-hand side of the cover, which is the same as 'Empire' magazine. The date, issue number and price are placed inside the dip of the letter 'M' which is something else that 'Total Film' magazine has in common with 'Empire.'

Magazine Analysis: Empire

This magazine uses a bold font for the title, with a colour scheme of white, red, turquoise and yellow for the whole cover. It hightlights features which be of interest to the target audience such as Oscar Award Winners, a film guide and a 3D movie special. The bar code is placed along the right-hand side, with the price and date inside the letter 'M.' The image which has being used fits in with the main feature of the magazine, and the skin of the model appears luminous, which adds interest for the reader. The image which has been used is placed in the centre of the cover, meaning that our eyes are neither diverted to the right or the left hand side. The features of the magazine are placed around the model. There is also a line connecting the heading "The 3D Event of the Year" to the "Quorra: Programme" box, emphasising that this is an aspect within the film. It also allows the audience to become aware that they are able to go and see the film in 3D.

Poster Analysis: Letters to Juliet

This poster uses very pale colours, that fit in with the colour of the envelope that a letter is usually inside. However, these colours do not stop the poster from being eye-catching, as the close-up of Amanda Seyfried's face draws attention. This close-up shot allows the audience to see her expression; one of curiosity and happiness, indicating that the film will be of a similar nature. She is also holding an envelope to fit into the colour scheme, and one this the effect of a wall is used, suggesting that the letters may be hidden away. As she is holding the envelope and there is an image of a couple in the centre it suggests that she will be related to them in the film. There is a caption at the top of the envelope and institutional information at the bottom, underneath the image of the couple.

Poster Analysis: Wuthering Heights

Unlike the poster for 'Atonement' this one only uses one image, which is the main focus of the poster. A close up low-angle shot has been used to give a certain status to the couple dancing. There is much less institutional information than on many film posters. The title itself appears to be a continuation of the dress, as it is blue, but with a white rim. The fact that the title is at the bottom of the poster makes the film more mysterious, and the blue colours link into this mystique that has been created.

Poster Analysis: Atonement

"Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan."

In this poster the two images are linked together through the use of vibrant colours such as green and orange. We can guess from the poster that the man and the woman are probably lovers, as they both look lost, and the title box is used to seperate them. Each of them are gazing: with the female it is into the distance and with the male it is to the ground. The century that the film is set in is highlighted through the mise-en-scene of the costumes and the hairstyle of the female. Additional images are used in the grey box in the centre to convey more of the storyline, as well as the names of the actors, director and a caption- this is a list of three. The institutional information is placed at the bottom of the poster.

Target Audience and Genre

As we have changed our idea at this point I have created a post to clarify these to aspects. The target audience are those in their late teens, as with the flashback to modern day as well as the 19th century footage it would appeal to them. Sarah's look would appeal in particular as she has piercings, cool clothes and coloured hair. Even though there is the 19th century footage as well it would still be something that people of this age would want to watch, because of programmes such as Downton Abbey creating this appeal and making it something for a younger audience as well. However those in their late twenties may also be interested because of the footage from the 1800's. Before we made changes our target audience would have been those in their late twenties/early thirties because of the flashback not being present.

The genre of our film will be a period romance but with a twist, because of the editing that will be used, and the fact that there are the two time periods. We hope that through creating something different it will appeal to the target audience that we are aiming for.

Filming the final shot

Last night we went back to Emily's house so that we could film the final shot where Peter has to act drunk. She has a wall outside so we made sure that we did not get any vehicles or houses in the distance, and with it being dark this was as not as much of an issue. As we had not already used the maid's outfit we decided to change our idea slightly and make it so that a maid (Lucinda) approached Peter to flirt with him, only for him to push her away emphasising the regret he would feel if he was involved with two women. The fact that he is drunk shows isolation, as well as the fact that there is no one else around. The darkness will also give off connotations of loneliness. We used an empty bottle of wine for Peter to drop, and as it was one that did not break easily it meant we could get him to drop it several times without a problem. If it had broken we did have a spare bottle we could use.

Issues with sound

When our footage was loaded onto the Apple Macs we had trouble with the sound, as we needed to import it seperately from the actual footage. Then it would not save with the footage on the Mac, as we had to put the memory stick in everytime, open the sound, import it and then when the memory stick was removed the sound was gone and not saved with the footage. This is a problem as it means we cannot have sound with our footage unless (as we were told yesterday) we upload the footage/sound straight from the cameras onto the Macs. As we have done quite a lot of editing already Lucinda, Emily and I discussed whether it would be worth starting from scratch with the editing in order to get the sound. As we only need sound for some of the shots we have decided to use the sound effects on the Mac, and as we will have a soundtrack over the top anyway we do not think that it is worth sacrificing the editing we have done so far just to get the sound.

What I have learnt so far on Final Cut Pro...

Below I have taken an image of Final Cut Pro and then highlighted the features I now know, and also what each of them does. As I continue to edit over a longer period of time I will gain greater knowledge regarding the tools that I can use on Final Cut Pro, and what each feature does, but for now this is what I have gained from my several edting sessions and information given to me by Lucinda...

Another feature not highlighted on this image is that you can right click on a certain part of the footage in order to change the duration or speed of a shot, therefore making it faster or slower depending on what you want it to look like.



More editing...

Today we got together as a group to edit, as we needed to decide between us how the particular shot should be edited. Emily and I have been listening to the advice which Lucinda has given us regarding Final Cut Pro, and have learnt how to use certain features such as changing the duration or speed of a certain shot and using the bar which allows you to scroll through the footage slowly in order to get to the exact point you need.

We have also decided to use the name 'Spotlight Productions' as Lucinda created it last year for her AS Coursework. It was the most popular choice when this survey was carried out by people:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/653VYN9




This is the production company logo that we will use:

Beginning to edit

As we have now filmed most of the shots for our teaser trailer it means that we can start to edit it, as the drunken scene is at the very end anyway. Over the past few days Lucinda has being showing me how to use Final Cut Pro as she used it last year for her coursework. I have found this very helpful, and picked up the tips she was giving me really easily. We are going to take it in turns to edit, and then do one session together too, so that everyone gets a chance to contribute, but then we can all get together as well and combine our thoughts and ideas on what has been done so far.