Thursday, 10 May 2012
What I have learnt...
Over the last few months I feel that I have achieved a great deal- I have learnt how to use new technology, and created a promotional package that I think works really well and that I am proud of. As well as this I feel that I have learnt how to work a lot better in a group; although we did not always agree on everything we have used each others ideas and helped one another. With me having previous knowledge of Photoshop it has allowed me to be more creative, as I have been able to experiment and was less afraid of it going wrong than when I made my magazine cover, contents page and double page spread last year. This confidence in technology has enabled me to go into this project with a positive attitude, dealing with problems a lot better and having an awareness of what I needed to do to create a promotional package of a high standard.
Evalution Question 4
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
I have used features such as Youtube to enable me to carry out research into trailers. As I have constructed my blog I have incorporated many different aspects such as Prezi, Authorstream, Slideshare and Youtube.
I have also embedded videos and trailers into my blog and into the Prezi's I created to make it easier to view them whenever I need to, instead of opening links. When creating my trailer I have used the Apple Mac for the first time, where I was introduced to software such as Final Cut Pro and Garage Band.
Through the use of the Apple Mac I have learnt how to import footage, make cuts where needed, import text, create a voiceover, slow down or speed up sections of footage, split the footage into sections, drag the footage to where it is needed, import a soundtrack and play back the trailer that has been created. When carrying out market research I used the Sony camera to interview the people who were answering the questions, then embedded the created videos into a Prezi.
When we filmed our trailer we used the Sony camera, the tripod, the external microphone and the boom pole. All of this equipment and technology was new to me, and I learnt many new things such as doing both hand held shots and those where the camera was placed on the tripod. It also made me realise the responsibilty that came with having such expensive equipment, which taught me to be careful and to think through the shots that we would be filming and how safe the equipment was going to be. On the other hand as I used Photoshop last year to create my AS coursework it was not new to me. Even though this was the case my understanding of Photoshop has increased greatly, and this has allowed me to do much more with my magazine cover and poster than I would have been able to do in Year 12.
When creating our group evaluation we filmed ourselves and then uploaded the video on the Internet, so we could embed it in our blogs. I have also used Surveymonkey to carry out market research and to obtain audience feedback, so I feel that I have used a variety of technologies to enable me to make my blog more interesting.
I have used features such as Youtube to enable me to carry out research into trailers. As I have constructed my blog I have incorporated many different aspects such as Prezi, Authorstream, Slideshare and Youtube.
I have also embedded videos and trailers into my blog and into the Prezi's I created to make it easier to view them whenever I need to, instead of opening links. When creating my trailer I have used the Apple Mac for the first time, where I was introduced to software such as Final Cut Pro and Garage Band.
Through the use of the Apple Mac I have learnt how to import footage, make cuts where needed, import text, create a voiceover, slow down or speed up sections of footage, split the footage into sections, drag the footage to where it is needed, import a soundtrack and play back the trailer that has been created. When carrying out market research I used the Sony camera to interview the people who were answering the questions, then embedded the created videos into a Prezi.
When we filmed our trailer we used the Sony camera, the tripod, the external microphone and the boom pole. All of this equipment and technology was new to me, and I learnt many new things such as doing both hand held shots and those where the camera was placed on the tripod. It also made me realise the responsibilty that came with having such expensive equipment, which taught me to be careful and to think through the shots that we would be filming and how safe the equipment was going to be. On the other hand as I used Photoshop last year to create my AS coursework it was not new to me. Even though this was the case my understanding of Photoshop has increased greatly, and this has allowed me to do much more with my magazine cover and poster than I would have been able to do in Year 12.
When creating our group evaluation we filmed ourselves and then uploaded the video on the Internet, so we could embed it in our blogs. I have also used Surveymonkey to carry out market research and to obtain audience feedback, so I feel that I have used a variety of technologies to enable me to make my blog more interesting.
Evaluation Question 3
What have you learned from your audience feedback?
I have being carrying out market research as I have been going along. Even though there have been changes since the research we carried out many months ago it meant that these changes were highlighted for us. I have asked people what I can do to make it better as I have progressed. Several things were brought to my attention such as the fact that no other period drama is not based on a novel, meaning that we took the choice to include the present time period and a flashback. I feel that by changing our ideas, target audience and genre it has made a trailer that would appeal to more people, and has made it much more original.
As we developed with editing our trailer constant feedback has been really beneficial. It has brought things to our attention such as the fact that the connection between the two females needed to be made clearer, the storyline needed to be made more obvious and also easier aspects to deal with such as text needing to be on screen for longer and more institutional information needing to be added. By carrying out audience feedback through both survey monkey and Facebook it has allowed for a variety of responses from a range of people.
After recieving audience feedback for my magazine cover and teaser trailer I have made alterations to the two. Having made these changes and then asked for more audience feedback I have learnt that it was worth putting in further time/effort.
In my final audience feedback I have learnt that they think all three elements of the promotional package are of a good standard, and that most importantly there is synergy between the three and that they work together. With the teaser trailer people have said that they would go and watch the film if there was one, so this shows that they have a good level of understanding now that we have changed the text on screen.
I have being carrying out market research as I have been going along. Even though there have been changes since the research we carried out many months ago it meant that these changes were highlighted for us. I have asked people what I can do to make it better as I have progressed. Several things were brought to my attention such as the fact that no other period drama is not based on a novel, meaning that we took the choice to include the present time period and a flashback. I feel that by changing our ideas, target audience and genre it has made a trailer that would appeal to more people, and has made it much more original.
As we developed with editing our trailer constant feedback has been really beneficial. It has brought things to our attention such as the fact that the connection between the two females needed to be made clearer, the storyline needed to be made more obvious and also easier aspects to deal with such as text needing to be on screen for longer and more institutional information needing to be added. By carrying out audience feedback through both survey monkey and Facebook it has allowed for a variety of responses from a range of people.
After recieving audience feedback for my magazine cover and teaser trailer I have made alterations to the two. Having made these changes and then asked for more audience feedback I have learnt that it was worth putting in further time/effort.
In my final audience feedback I have learnt that they think all three elements of the promotional package are of a good standard, and that most importantly there is synergy between the three and that they work together. With the teaser trailer people have said that they would go and watch the film if there was one, so this shows that they have a good level of understanding now that we have changed the text on screen.
Evaluation Question 2
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I feel that the combination of the three products within my promotional package work well together. I have also learnt that the poster, magazine cover and teasertrailer are effective together through my audience feedback. I have used the features from the storyline such as the fire and two time periods to link the three together, and I have used the smudge tool when creating all three products as the effect it creates gives connotations of 'smoke' and 'fire.'
When creating my products I have not focused on just one time period from the two within the film, but both. With our teaser trailer we used a variety of footage to put across the link between Sarah and Frances as being relations within the film. With my poster I split it into two sections with an image of Sarah at the top, looking back into her past, and then an image of the 19th century era beneath her. The only product where I have focused on mostly one era is my magazine, but I have still included an interview with Sarah. The main reason for doing this is when I tried an image with Sarah as the main focus it did not work, and felt the image of the other three was much better.
Another reason for this is because it is easier to do an interview with just one person; there is not usually one with three people unless it is a band. I also felt that the image I chose from the 19th century worked better than the one of Sarah, but I decided to include both. I feel that it is more important to convey the fact that there are two eras within the film in the teaser trailer and the poster, as these would be the aspects that the audience would focus on more. They would then go out and buy the magazine if the film had been of interest to them.
I have also learnt that the combination of the three products is effective through my audience feedback, so it is not only my own judgement but the opinion of others as well.
I feel that the combination of the three products within my promotional package work well together. I have also learnt that the poster, magazine cover and teasertrailer are effective together through my audience feedback. I have used the features from the storyline such as the fire and two time periods to link the three together, and I have used the smudge tool when creating all three products as the effect it creates gives connotations of 'smoke' and 'fire.'
When creating my products I have not focused on just one time period from the two within the film, but both. With our teaser trailer we used a variety of footage to put across the link between Sarah and Frances as being relations within the film. With my poster I split it into two sections with an image of Sarah at the top, looking back into her past, and then an image of the 19th century era beneath her. The only product where I have focused on mostly one era is my magazine, but I have still included an interview with Sarah. The main reason for doing this is when I tried an image with Sarah as the main focus it did not work, and felt the image of the other three was much better.
Another reason for this is because it is easier to do an interview with just one person; there is not usually one with three people unless it is a band. I also felt that the image I chose from the 19th century worked better than the one of Sarah, but I decided to include both. I feel that it is more important to convey the fact that there are two eras within the film in the teaser trailer and the poster, as these would be the aspects that the audience would focus on more. They would then go out and buy the magazine if the film had been of interest to them.
I have also learnt that the combination of the three products is effective through my audience feedback, so it is not only my own judgement but the opinion of others as well.
Evalution Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When I created my poster and magazine cover I researched other examples. I followed the conventions of the 'Letters to Juliet' and 'Atonement' posters as well as looking into 'Empire' and 'Total Film' for my magazine.
Magazine: I have followed the conventions of a film magazine by using the same layout: a bold magazine title, only a few headlines, a barcode down one side, a price, website, date and issue number at the top, a box of features at the bottom of the cover and a large image as the focus. I have challenged conventions by using an image which would not usually be featured on a film magazine, but as the target audience for our trailer are different to most who would buy film magazines I think that it would appeal to them. I have also included features about films which my target audience would be interested in such as 'Letters to Juliet', 'Wuthering Heights' and 'The Notebook.'
Poster: I have followed the conventions of a promotional poster by including institutional information, using bold fonts for the release date and 'Total Film' rating, by making it so that the title links to the genre and storyline and by using images which would give a clear indication of the type of film that the person would be going to see. I have developed my ideas by thinking about the connotations which the aspects featured on my poster give. For instance, the fire and the burnt letters coincide well but they also have the same connotations and link into how Sarah's character is so shocked by her past; she finds her discoveries confusing and disorientating- which is what I have tried to show in my poster. I have challenged conventions of a real promotional poster by using two images which are very different, but I think that as the storyline is set in two time periods this needed to be expressed in my poster, so that the target audience get an idea of what the film would be about.
With my trailer I looked into many other teaser trailers/theatrical trailers such as 'Emma', 'The Piano' and 'The Woman in Black.'
Teaser Trailer: After we had done research and discussed the importance of features like the institutional information, voiceover and how to get across to the viewer what is happening in the storyline we put this into our trailer. We developed our ideas by making changes as we went along, filming new footage and altering the storyline where appropriate. We challenged conventions by creating a film trailer which is very different from any other; it uses a balance of both the modern day and the 19th century to create a storyline where the girl looks back over her life. There are films where the character's life changes, but this would not usually be based on her past and how she decides to research it, and is then affected by the outcome. In a similar way to other films we have created verisimilitude by choosing a believable location and costumes, so I think that we have achieved the look of the 1800's time period well.
When I created my poster and magazine cover I researched other examples. I followed the conventions of the 'Letters to Juliet' and 'Atonement' posters as well as looking into 'Empire' and 'Total Film' for my magazine.
Magazine: I have followed the conventions of a film magazine by using the same layout: a bold magazine title, only a few headlines, a barcode down one side, a price, website, date and issue number at the top, a box of features at the bottom of the cover and a large image as the focus. I have challenged conventions by using an image which would not usually be featured on a film magazine, but as the target audience for our trailer are different to most who would buy film magazines I think that it would appeal to them. I have also included features about films which my target audience would be interested in such as 'Letters to Juliet', 'Wuthering Heights' and 'The Notebook.'
Poster: I have followed the conventions of a promotional poster by including institutional information, using bold fonts for the release date and 'Total Film' rating, by making it so that the title links to the genre and storyline and by using images which would give a clear indication of the type of film that the person would be going to see. I have developed my ideas by thinking about the connotations which the aspects featured on my poster give. For instance, the fire and the burnt letters coincide well but they also have the same connotations and link into how Sarah's character is so shocked by her past; she finds her discoveries confusing and disorientating- which is what I have tried to show in my poster. I have challenged conventions of a real promotional poster by using two images which are very different, but I think that as the storyline is set in two time periods this needed to be expressed in my poster, so that the target audience get an idea of what the film would be about.
With my trailer I looked into many other teaser trailers/theatrical trailers such as 'Emma', 'The Piano' and 'The Woman in Black.'
Teaser Trailer: After we had done research and discussed the importance of features like the institutional information, voiceover and how to get across to the viewer what is happening in the storyline we put this into our trailer. We developed our ideas by making changes as we went along, filming new footage and altering the storyline where appropriate. We challenged conventions by creating a film trailer which is very different from any other; it uses a balance of both the modern day and the 19th century to create a storyline where the girl looks back over her life. There are films where the character's life changes, but this would not usually be based on her past and how she decides to research it, and is then affected by the outcome. In a similar way to other films we have created verisimilitude by choosing a believable location and costumes, so I think that we have achieved the look of the 1800's time period well.
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Audience Feedback: Final Teaser Trailer
I carried out my audience feedback using Survey Monkey. This is the link to it:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D5SZRND
These are the responses shown below:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D5SZRND
These are the responses shown below:
Final Storyboard
The sections for our final storyboard are shown below:
Final Storyboard
1. Institutional information- MPAA
2. Spotlight Productions
3. Black Stallion Films
4. Shot of computer screen showing findmypast
5. Text on screen
6. Computer screen with mouse on “get started”
7. Sarah on the phone
8. Close-up of the newspaper clipping
9. Sarah walking through the trees
10. Sarah going into the house
11. Text on screen
12. Sarah walking along the corridor
13. Text on screen
14. Sarah stroking piano
15. Text on screen
16. Walking over to table
17. Lifting lid of box
18. Text on screen
19. Over the shoulder shot of her reading the letter
20. Over the shoulder shot of Frances writing the letter
21. Shot of Frances from the front writing the letter- tilt up to her face shows that she’s crying
22. Text on screen
23. Frances dancing with Peter
24. Frances praying
25. Frances walking down the staircase
26. Text on screen
27. Frances looking out over the balcony
28. Peter walking up the steps
29. Peter walking over to Frances
30. Confrontation scene between Jon and Peter
31. Jon reaching for Frances- he tilts her head upwards
32. Text on screen
33. Frances looking through keyhole
34. Jon walking over to Peter- shot shows only their legs so facial expressions cannot be seen
35. Frances drawing back from keyhole in shock
36. Frances dancing with Jon
37. Match being dropped
38. Text on screen
39. Frances running along the corridor
40. Frances in bed- unsettled sleeping shows she is having a nightmare
41. Frances running down the steps
42. Frances running along the gravel
43. Frances running down more steps near the lake
44. Quick shot of fire
45. Film Title
46. Match burning the paper
47. Institutional information
48. Match burning paper- shot fades out with music
As there are now over 40 sections to our storyboard we felt it would be easier and clearer if we typed it up rather than drawing it out. This shows how much our ideas have developed since our earlier storyboards were created.
Final Teaser Trailer
As we all had different ideas about what to include in the final trailer Emily and I edited one version, and Lucinda did another. However we were all happy to do it this way so that we had an end product that we felt was of a good enough standard. Personally I do not feel this is an issue, as we have worked closely as a group and split the work equally up until this point. By creating two different versions it has allowed each of us to use the ideas that we wanted to but still with the same storyline and shots we produced together.
It is also noticable that we have made this a teaser trailer again rather than a full length theatrical trailer. This is because once we had cut the footage it was only 1 minute 35 seconds. This shows that our editing has developed since we decided to make a full-length trailer, meaning that the final piece is a teaser trailer instead.
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