http://prezi.com/1f_qfagulysx/evaluation-question-4-how-did-you-use-new-media-technologies-in-the-construction-and-research-planning-and-evaluation-stages/
Monday, 18 April 2011
Evaluation Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
http://prezi.com/1f_qfagulysx/evaluation-question-4-how-did-you-use-new-media-technologies-in-the-construction-and-research-planning-and-evaluation-stages/
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Evaluation Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?
http://prezi.com/hqlmnvcfjlkv/evaluation-question-3-what-have-you-learnt-from-your-audience-feedback/ (incase embed doesnt work).
Evaluation Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main task and ancillary tasks?
http://prezi.com/9oc97jb6rpf0/evaluation-question-3-how-effective-is-the-combination-of-your-main-task-and-ancillary-tasks/ (incase embed doesnt work).
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Construction of magazine cover
During the photo shoot I spent a while trying some different shots at the bridge, that I decided I would use for my magazine cover picture (some of which i lost whilst taking pictures).
This is the photo i will use for my cover.
This is the photo i will use for my cover.This is my first draft. As you can see i made the mistake of making the picture to small, therefore i had to make it look busier with symbols etc. I will take out these symbols and i will increase the size of the picture in my final copy, so that the audience is attracted to the people within the picture. I will also make the 'splatters' more effective by making them more subtle. This will also make the magazine seem more 'classy' and therefore more 'specialist'. I will also change the fonts of some of the text. For example, all the titles of films in the list will become the same font and the leading of the text below it will be decreased. I will place the picture of the people to the left and the list will be on the right.
This is my final product.
Construction of Poster
This photo shows me taking the still photograph i am using for my poster.
This is the image i took and i will use.
This is the first draft of my poster. As you can see i have the basic outline and structure of the poster but i have lots of work to do before it looks professional. For example, adding a credit block, making the picture blend into the black background, making the splatters look more effective and maybe changing the font of the title.
This is how my poster has changed since. I have done some font research for the credit block and changed the leading, height and font accordingly, to make it look more in line with professional products. I have kept to a theme of red, white and black however the fonts are now smarter and therefore in my opinion, more chilling. I changed the release date making it more specific and changed the font, so it fitted more with the font used for the title. I also added a credit block and edited the leading and height of the font for this. It took a lot of work because there were two different heights used, so i was constantly changing it. I still need to add my institutional logos along the bottom. I then added my 'slogan' along the top and i need to re-add the picture (that i took out temporarily) and make it fit in with the rest of the poster.
Here is my final copy. As you can see i have developed it from the last picture by adding the picture and make it stand out i darkened it then added a lot of brush effects so that it worked its way into the black background. I also added the institutional logos, which was a simple job as all i had to do was transfer them onto the photoshop document, resize them and put them in place. I also changed the font of the slogan, simply because i feel it stands out more and looks better in white with the picture.
Photoshoot images
Here is an image of a photoshoot taking place. Here are the main results of the photoshoot: 
Skills development
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxj1dBONXmo&feature=channel_video_title (this is the link to the video incase the embed code doesnt work)
Scripts
Victim: Where do i go? (pause) I dont know. (pause) Anywhere, but here. I have kept speech minimal in my trailer because i think it makes the speech in the trailer more effective and i think with the onscreen text, no more script is needed.
Model release forms/ Call sheets
Call Sheets:
Marc Alderson
CHARACTER - killer
SHOOTING DAY NO: 1
CALL TIME: 10:00 AM
DAY/DATE: Saturday 20th February
PRODUCER: James Ward
DIRECTOR: James Ward
Graham Watkins
CHARACTER - victim
SHOOTING DAY NO: 1
CALL TIME: 10:00 AM
DAY/DATE: Saturday 18th September
PRODUCER: James Ward
DIRECTOR: James Ward
Model release forms:
Construction of institutional logos
This is my first initial skethes. All of these were then created using photoshop and can be seen in my products. I intially planned to show them at the beginning of my trailer with its own little 'jingle' or 'soundtrack' but as i watched more existing products, i realised that it would be more effective to work them into the trailer another way. I will also have them along the bottom of my film poster. 
Costume
I went to the popular charity shop 'oxfam' to find a big padded coat for my killer to wear.
I found the perfect jacket, as shown by my model here
I will also be using fake blood for the victim, as I tested here. I think it looks effective and will be using it in the final product.
My victim will be wearing normal clothes to add a sence of realism and help relate it to the disenchanted world.
Proposal Of ideas
While brainstorming i created this spider diagram. However there is much more that I also need to say. Magazine Cover Needs to be busy, but also clear at the same time. I will do some font research which will help me have a clearer idea of how to achieve these aims. I will also need ratings on the cover as in my questionnaire it was stated that ratings and reviews play a very important role. The colour red will also be predominent. This is because it works well with the genre, stands out on black and represents (in this case) blood and fear. My magazine will also be quite independant. I want it to attract people of all film interest, but i will make it look slightly specialist (calling it balance and composure etc.) to attract the horror enthusiasts that are explained in the audience theory (that there is a large following of horror films by horror enthusiasts, passionate about the genre). Because this following of a genre only really applies to horror, i feel i should take advantage of it. It will be a monthly magazine and will charge £2.49 an issue, i effectively used my audience research to find out that this would be the best option. The featured film for the cover will be mine and it will have a large picture of my 'killer' carrying my victim. There will be a list of other featured articles in the magazine on the right hand side. The magazine will be called 'balance and composure' and underneith will be the text 'film magazine'. This edition will be the halloween edition, so the cover will be aimed at horrors and this niche horror audience. Poster The poster is very important and must not misenterperate the trailer. I feel that it will need to be quite mellow and calm but with a deep disturbing feeling. For example, the font will be quite formal and wont shout out horror. A lot will be left to the imagination and the picture (i plan it to be a misty icture of disused train tracks, that will become a predominent image throughout the package) and it will blend into a black background. The text of the title (brutality will prevail), the slogan (it never forgives, it never forgets) and the credit block will all be white and the release date will be in a deep, dark red (for the same reason as i explained for using red before). Trailer The trailer is the most important aspect. It is very important that i interperate the theories and create and effective product. I will aim to strike people with the fear of the killer being an abject, which disturbes the viewer. It will also be in a 'normal', disenchanted world. Therefore it will add a sense of realism, viewers think it could happen to them because it is happening to the character in a surrounding that they can relate to in everyday life. The costume will be important, the victim will be wearing normal, everyday wear, that will also beck up the sense of realism. The killer will be wearing a large padded jacket, blocking out his face and any skin, making him seem 'unhuman' which will fit into the 'purity and danger' theory (uncatagorisable by the viewer, alarms them). The killer's actions and what is suggested in the build up throughout the trailer will also make him seem like an abject as it is the repessed thing that returns to cause havoc on the disenchanted, rational world. The soundtrack is going to be a minor key or atonal, minimalistic piece, that i will use garageband to create. It will change from being predomient within the trailer to being in the background and will work alongside the constant hearbeat effect that will also change between being predominent and working in the background. There will also be scraping and banging sound effects. It will build up in editing pace and at the end it will slow right down again. The only script will be at the beginning and it is the victim talking to himself. Text on the screen will explain the story and will build up the story, giving the trailer more depth. The shots will generally be quite dark, except for a train shot at the beginning (showing the disenchanted, normal world). The shots of the workshop will be especially dark.
Soundtrack reserarch and development
I now need to create my soundtrack. Therefore i will use garageband for this. I will also use cubase 5 (that i use in music technology) to create sound effects, such as a heartbeat and will get some sound efftects from filming. for example, the scraping of a spade on the floor.
http://prezi.com/7tcdnrccjwaq/making-my-sound-effect/
http://prezi.com/7tcdnrccjwaq/making-my-sound-effect/
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Sourcing my copyright free soundtrack
For my soundtrack i have decided on 3 songs that i think would work. I have chose three songs that i think would work and that would possibly have interest in being involved in my product. The songs are; RJD2 - smoke and mirrors, Josh Martinez - Time Alone or Daft Punk - superheroes.
I recieved this automatic response and will wait for an answer from them.
I chose these songs because i want a song with a deep minor or atonal sound, to make the trailer seem more on edge and creepy (because people cant relate to this atonal sound). This makes it fit with Julia Kristevas 'abject' theory and Mary Douglas' purity and danger theory, that it cant be catagorised.
I think its important to find out the album and track names for the song before sending an email so it atleast looks like i have background knowledge of the artist/group and therefore makes me look like a loyal fan which in return will make them more likely to allow me to use their music. I also purposely chose more underground artists hoping they will want to get heard more and take this as an opperunity. However, not to underground that they seem to be uncontactable.
I did some research and found out the album and track number of the song 'smoke and mirrors' by 'RJD2'. I also found their UK record label and emailed them as i presumed they were the copyright holder. Here is a printscreen of the enquiery i made:
I emailed the uk media/promotional enquiry as i thought this s the best suited to what i wanted to ask. I did notice that the record company is quite against coporate major companies etc. So there is the chance that they will be against me using the song however i think it will probably okay considering i have seen their tracks used in other films. I will now wait for a reply and if i dont recieve one i will double check the correct copyright holder and presume i will be able to use the track. I also feel quite confident considering they have a promotional enquiry email address.
I recieved this automatic response and will wait for an answer from them. I also did some research on another song i wanted to use by josh martinez. I did some research and found out that he created his own label where his music is copyrighted. I emailed this record company (camobear records) and i am now waiting for a response.
This shows that my email has been sent.For the daft punk song i wanted to use, i found out daft punk were on virgin records but couldnt find anything about them on the virgin records so i dont know if their record deal has expired and cant find, if they have, what they are on now. It was also a remix so i dont know who would hold the copyright to that version as the remix is from an unsigned artist.
This shows that my email has been sent.
For the daft punk song i wanted to use, i found out daft punk were on virgin records but couldnt find anything about them on the virgin records so i dont know if their record deal has expired and cant find, if they have, what they are on now. It was also a remix so i dont know who would hold the copyright to that version as the remix is from an unsigned artist.
Update - 25/02/11 - I recieved no response from any of the requests. I assume that they deem project unimportant or insignificant enough that it does not require a response or pose a threat to the copyright of the music.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Institutional Context
Trailer:
Institutional context on Prezi
http://prezi.com/p-off77n5kvt/institutional-context/ (incase embed doesnt work)
Print Products:
As well as creating a trailer, i will also need to create print products that come in the form of a magazine cover and a film poster. Because my film is low budget, it will probably be produced by an independant company. This may make the product look slightly different, especially with the magazine cover. The magazine may cover different material, for example, an international, mainstream magazine might cover itnernational film festivals etc. and will only cover the huge budget films, whereas smaller magazines will cover small budget films and will seem like more of a tight knit, "niche" audience. However, although i want my magazine to attract these people, i dont want others to feel out of place, which would result in them not buying the magazine, so it has to feel open to everyone. Being an independent institution may also mean that funds are smaller, in which case the production value may be lowered, or the distribution not as wide, or not as many editions published. I think funds of a small independant magazine effect the way it looks and what it features inside (they cant travel the world etc. has to be local). I think i would give my magazine a specialist feel, making it seem like a specialist film magazine, not just another magazine on the shelf, but it must not put people off.
In the print industry, the process begins with an idea, like the film industry. The idea is then planned and drafted until it is produced or created on a computer. This is then printed by a printing company, and distributed accordingly. I will be taking on all of the roles in these productions, such as editor, artist, printer, researcher, writer, proofreader and illustrator. the only role i will not be taking is being the model within the pictures. Technology i will be using is a digital stills camera, with a tripod and adobe photoshop cs4. For this i will need to develop my photoshop and picture taking skills.
My film poster wouldnt be very widely distributed and would be placed mainly where there would definatly be target audience members. For example, small horror film festivals and online places such as horror dedicated blogs. My audience research told me that a lot of my potential audience are online so i will aim there aswell.
How theories will fit into my product
A lot of these theories link with each other and will work with my product, which in my opinion, is essential. Angels Theory In this theory Serres links the past to the present using the idea of the angel-as-messenger. This is another example of the return of something we had left behind (or repressed). He argues that we humans are infact more primitive than we are modern and that these primitive impulses are not far below the surface. This theory will fit with my product becasue it is showing primitive, unhuman impulses of the killer and showing that we are animals. Genre theory asks the fundamental question: are genres "out there" in the world, or are they artificially constructed after the fact? Genres can be identified by their themes, or by their iconography. Iconography tends to take precedence. In horror, psychological fears are often more important than the appearance of things. This theory will also fit into my product. I have focused on psychological fears, that people often already have. Audience Theory Perhaps more than any other genre, horror texts attract an audience which persues the genre with a passion, almost like a cult following or sub-culture. Given its psychological nature, the reception of horror texts by their audience is of crucial importance. Many film critics actually become critics because of their love for horror and often enthusiasts start their own magazines or websites (for example, http://www.finalgirl.blogspot.com/) This theory also fits in. Low budget horrors often have an enthusiast following, instead of a mainstream following so in my product i may aim it towards this audience. For example, take influence frmo magazines such as fangoria. I can also look at a lot of these low budget horror films and see how the recreate scenes. This also means i will be aiming at making it as shocking as possible. The Uncanny This is a very old theory, nearly 100 years, but it still has relevence in modern films. Freud links the uncanny with repressed childhood memories and primitive human experience. "The return of the repressed" can be seen as a theme of many horror films. This theory will also fit into my product. Like i explained with the audience theory, i will choose everything within my product carefully to play towards scaring people with common repressed fears, such as clowns or children. Disenchantment Sociologist Max Weber refers disenchantment to the devaluation of mysticism (the repression of magic or the supernatural). Weber described modern, secular society (in which scientific understanding is more valued than belief) as disenchanted. In many horror texts, reason/rationality comes under specific attack by paranormal forces. Its the "return of the repressed" aspects of society (primitive experience/beliefs), which leak back into our disenchanted world. This links well to Freuds idea of the uncanny. The return of repressed childhood memories often refers specifically to the experience of disenchantment in childhood - loss of innocence, or buried memories. Things that scare us as adults often scare us as children too! (for example, clowns). This, in my opinion, is a very important theory and fits into almost all horror texts. This is where the horror appears in an un-suspecting 'disenchanted' place. Then the horror returns back into it. My product will be about someone who managed to survive a horrific massacre, but when it seems to be safe, it isnt. Therefore it will work with this theory. I will also play on the fear of being attacked and taken whic is a buried, repressed fear for many people. The idea of Abjection origionated in the works of feminist, psychoanalyst and critic Julia Kristeva. First off, to be abject is to be 'cast off' or degraded (the lowest of the low). In critical theory, the term abjection is used to describe the state of marginalised/peripheral groups - those excluded from the mainstream. The abject is that which does not "respect borders, positions and rules". In horror texts, we frequently encounter an abject. This is usually in the form of body horror (this is often what makes us turn from the screen). In the slasher sub-genre the abject is often represented by extreme gore and blood. When in our minds we think that some things in horror are 'just not right' this is often the abject. For example, a precocious child or something that looks wrong when it moves (for example, the girl climbing out of the well in the ring). This theory can be linked to Michel Serres ideas about the parasite and about the angel. Abjection is concerned with borders and the space between, just as parasites and angels are (in michel Serres case, the space between is the medium through which messages pass). The excluded third that Serres also writes about in The parasite could also be described as 'the abject'. In horror texts, the abject is also the repessed thing that returns to cause havoc on the disenchanted, rational world. This also works with nearly all horror texts. The 'bad guy' is nearly always an abject, be it the way they seem unhuman with their actions, the way they talk, the way they move etc. In my product, like many other slasher horrors, the actions of the killer will make it seem like an abject and make it seem unhuman (which will also make the viewer unable to catagorise it) and will therefore disturb the viewer. Purity and Danger The idea of the abject also relates to the anthopologist Mary Douglas' work on purity and danger. Just as many humans have the urge to narrate, they have a need to sort out into catagories: that which is safe/pure and that which is dangerous/impure. Many horror texts are concerned with catagories: Human/Inhuman; Good/evil; Alive/dead etc. Horror texts often use things that fail to fit a catagory: The abject, the undead, the not-human. My killer wont fit into a catagory and wont seem human. This alarms and disturbs the viewer. Therefore my product will fit with this theory.
Horror theory research
I decided to do some theoretical approaches to Horror texts and research theories and theorists of this genre, which i think will be very useful for my product. William Friedkin (director of the exorsist) once said that there are only really three reasons for making movies: to scare people; to make them laugh; or to turn them on. And that means there are only three genres of movie. I agree that these are key emotions of a film and every single film includes at least one of these. Theory 1 The Parasite I am very interested in the work of Michel Serres and found his theories on horror very interesting and useful. The parasite theory looks at social relations as well as communications. An example of this is how supernatural forces in J-horror films often use a medium (e.g water, television static) to invade the human world. Theory 2 Angels Theory In this theory Serres links the past to the present using the idea of the angel-as-messenger. This is another example of the return of something we had left behind (or repressed). He argues that we humans are infact more primitive than we are modern and that these primitive impulses are not far below the surface. Theory 3 Genre Theory Genre theory asks the fundamental question: are genres "out there" in the world, or are they artificially constructed after the fact? Genres can be identified by their themes, or by their iconography. Iconography tends to take precedence. In horror, psychological fears are often more important than the appearance of things. Theory 4 Audience Theory Perhaps more than any other genre, horror texts attract an audience which persues the genre with a passion, almost like a cult following or sub-culture. Given its psychological nature, the reception of horror texts by their audience is of crucial importance. Many film critics actually become critics because of their love for horror and often enthusiasts start their own magazines or websites (for example, http://www.finalgirl.blogspot.com/). Theory 5 The Uncanny This is a very old theory, nearly 100 years, but it still has relevence in modern films. Freud links the uncanny with repressed childhood memories and primitive human experience. "The return of the repressed" can be seen as a theme of many horror films. Theory 6 Disenchantment Sociologist Max Weber refers disenchantment to the devaluation of mysticism (the repression of magic or the supernatural). Weber described modern, secular society (in which scientific understanding is more valued than belief) as disenchanted. In many horror texts, reason/rationality comes under specific attack by paranormal forces. Its the "return of the repressed" aspects of society (primitive experience/beliefs), which leak back into our disenchanted world. This links well to Freuds idea of the uncanny. The return of repressed childhood memories often refers specifically to the experience of disenchantment in childhood - loss of innocence, or buried memories. Things that scare us as adults often scare us as children too! (for example, clowns). Theory 7 Abjection The idea of Abjection origionated in the works of feminist, psychoanalyst and critic Julia Kristeva. First off, to be abject is to be 'cast off' or degraded (the lowest of the low). In critical theory, the term abjection is used to describe the state of marginalised/peripheral groups - those excluded from the mainstream. The abject is that which does not "respect borders, positions and rules". In horror texts, we frequently encounter an abject. This is usually in the form of body horror (this is often what makes us turn from the screen). In the slasher sub-genre the abject is often represented by extreme gore and blood. When in our minds we think that some things in horror are 'just not right' this is often the abject. For example, a precocious child or something that looks wrong when it moves (for example, the girl climbing out of the well in the ring). This theory can be linked to Michel Serres ideas about the parasite and about the angel. Abjection is concerned with borders and the space between, just as parasites and angels are (in michel Serres case, the space between is the medium through which messages pass). The excluded third that Serres also writes about in The parasite could also be described as 'the abject'. In horror texts, the abject is also the repessed thing that returns to cause havoc on the disenchanted, rational world. Theory 8 Purity and Danger The idea of the abject also relates to the anthopologist Mary Douglas' work on purity and danger. Just as many humans have the urge to narrate, they have a need to sort out into catagories: that which is safe/pure and that which is dangerous/impure. Many horror texts are concerned with catagories: Human/Inhuman; Good/evil; Alive/dead etc. Horror texts often use things that fail to fit a catagory: The abject, the undead, the not-human.
Secondary Audience Research
The data shown from this chart (found on pearl and dean) tells me that the predominent audience for my film will be male. This means that the film will be dominated with stereotypically, what the male audience will want to see. And we can see this by watching the trailer and film, there is a lot of violence, with jumpy scenes and lots of chasing and gore. There is also lots of sexual scenes in some of these films which show the women a lot more than the men. However there is a divide, there is generally also a large female audience (in all the examples its at least 40%). It means they will have created the film so that it was attract both audiences and therefore since it might still attract mainly to the male audience, there is still aspects and there has still been thought put into attracting the female audience that enjoy watching horror films. In the film, the characters are also all people that the audience can relate too and the characters are quite stereotypical. For example, in Friday 13th, We get emotinally attached to the characters and 'Jason' the killer, is seen as inhuman and we dont get attached to him. Because this film is rated as an 18+ film, the film will not try and attract a younger audience, which means it doesnt have to worry about relating to all ages and can concentrate on its main audience which is for 17-24 (with 72% of the audience in this age group). With horror films also, i have found that when films of this genre try to attract a different audience as well as the horror fans, then the horror fans are put off the film. Much the same as when say a band sells out, the origional fans are put off them. We can also see from the chart that there is also a large 33% of the audience above the age of 27. However i feel that with horror films, people understand what they are going to see and so i dont think most horror films would have been adapted to attracting the older audience. However, i think friday the 13th may have gotten a big older age turn out because it was first released in 1980, and has been remade with the modern technology we have to be able to make a truley scary film. As we can see in this film, the main audience is also for the age group 17-24. This shows that its a recurring theme in almost all horror films, with few anomolies. This film is also similar to the other sense in the way it shows the horror. There are lots of different types of horror films but it seems there are two main sub-genres, the spooky genre and the gory genre. The spooky genre (with films like paranormal acitivty etc.) normally have a slow paced editing and it is made so the smallest thing makes the viewer jump and there is the gory sort of genre with films such as hostel and saw, where it just uses unthinkable violence to scare the viewer. I think the spooky genre is more effect because and i want to follow the rule that 'one death is a tragedy and a million is a mere statistic'.For my film, i will aim it, like the examples above, at the over 18 audience because i think by making it a 15 i will lose more interest than i gain because people are put off by seeing it as a 15, thinking it will be tame. I will also aim it equally towards male and female. It will be a film attracting horror enthusiasts so instead of making it a horror that can be viewed by an easily offended audience, it will be very shocking. This is because i dont think you can get a good balance of both types of audience. Horror enthusiasts will be let down and easily offended people will find it too shocking. Therefore in my opinion it is better to aim it at one group. This means i will probably do everything i can to make the products as shocking and scary as possible.
The Brief
A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with the following two options: A film magazine front cover, featuring the filmA poster for the film
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