Evaluation task 4

4. How did you use media technologies In the construction, research and planning, and evaluation stages?

The research and planning phase of the evaluation required the most effort as ideas had to be effectively formulated into an initial one. When researching film trailers I made extensive use of YouTube in order to look at trailers in depth using the high resolution of the platform. As YouTube is the worlds largest video sharing site the highest quality film trailers are broadcast on to the site which allowed me to seamlessly access the content. My analysis of 6 trailers that are already on my blog had supplemented the genre conventions that were  found in my film trailer.

Above are examples of the high resolution found on YouTube which I utilised extensively to analyse Split, The girl with the dragon tattoo, Se7en, The departed, Flight and Inception.

During the research and planning phase of the A2 coursework I produced a film poster for my AS film trailer, The Prowler using Photoshop which was a very useful program that showed me the value of changing small details in my work that will make a substantial difference in the quality of that work. In addition, I recreated the magazine cover used for Sherlock Holmes: A game of shadows, which allowed me to hone my Photoshop skills in order to further develop my ability to use the software. As part of my A2 blog which is the blog that this post will be accessible on I produced two ancillary texts which were  for my new film Delirium in the post production phase. These texts were both produced on Photoshop in addition to my previous work. However these texts were of a much higher quality, features more advanced effects and I demonstrated use of complex tools within the program such as the lasso tool and the magic wand tool as well as a greater understanding of the genre's typical conventions such as colours, fonts and general theme of thrillers.

The software  proved to be invaluable as it allowed for the different layers of an image to be altered with a huge variety of effects and distortions. This resulted in detailed layers of text and effects that made up the posters and magazine covers to a good standard which I myself was very satisfied with. The most common layer effects that I utilised on Photoshop were: Outer glow, Inner glow, drop shadow, bevel and emboss, satin and colour overlay. All of these effects were useful in structuring the text and font of the words on each ancillary text.

I made use of PowerPoint presentations to showcase that I have used the program throughout the research and planning phase. I have used the program more frequently in my A2 blog than my AS blog as I have desired to show more versatility in the way that I present my tasks. The program offers a creative edge as it encourages the use of transitions between slides to make it more engaging for a target audience. It also has an exceptionally diverse range of background colours which I used in tandem with the sombre mood of my film genre.

This is a picture of my group and I using Sony Vegas pro to edit our film which we felt would be more effective than Adobe Premiere Pro as it had different features which allowed for unwanted content to be trimmed away easier but also we were able to instantaneously transfer copyright free sounds directly onto our footage which made the editing process so much quicker and smoother. This was mainly achieved due to the software's advanced tools such as the multi camera editing tools and the customisable window layouts to rearrange clips of footage. Also independent audio sequencing in real time allowed us to see the effects of our editing. Furthermore our group used Version 14 of the software which is the most recent software as it was published in September 2016. This allowed for 4K resolution upscaling and more visual effects than previous versions.

In the construction of our film I decided to use sound cloud as the source of our music for our film. Due to the vast array of different sounds on the website my group and I were able to easily acquire adequate music for our film. The music that we used consisted of progressively more intense conventional music and very vibrant white noise effects at particular sequences. These sounds can be heard in a film trailer which is also on my blog. Experimental changes in the sounds used can also be heard in my first two drafts of our film before the final cut of our production.

Finally, in the evaluation phase of my A2 coursework, I used Sound Cloud to record and embed on to my blog a voiceover of my second evaluation task which would provide a more audience orientated format of viewing the post. For audience members that are deaf, there is a transcript of the voiceover below it so those people can still enjoy the post.

Throughout all 3 phases of the coursework process I have made use of my personal IPhone to take the vast majority of the photographs that have been uploaded to this blog which has been a very fast method for uploading the photographs which would be more effective than relying on camera chips which could easily be lost during filming. It has also been a great tool for communication between myself and my media group outside of school for organisational purposes. We all used the facebook messenger app for this level of communication.

Evaluation task 3

3.What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Throughout the process of my A2 coursework I have been given continuous feedback on my main product and ancillary texts as well as my groups main trailer production.

After careful consideration and informal feedback from my media studies teachers and fellow students I decided to use this picture for my magazine cover. However I altered the image so the bricks were not present. I did this because many people who saw the image advised me to remove them because I had a desire to have a much darker themed magazine cover.

I also adjusted the picture to be black and white which merged perfectly with the black forest as my backdrop. I did this in order to show pathetic fallacy which is how the weather affects the viewing of a media text. My preferred reading would be for this to entice my audience.For this particular picture I learned that the use of colour and adjustments of images was essential if I wanted to show my audience the anecdote behind my magazine cover. In addition a man in blue jeans and a quilted coat is not meaningful to an audience so this provides further justification as to why I made the adjustment to make him look much more intimidating.

Above is my finished magazine cover which has the picture displayed above with the adjustments that I made. The text around the image was also carefully considered especially the masthead title 'MEDIA NATION' as my superiors were conflicted between the word MEDIANATION or to split the two words up. Originally There was an O in media nation but I decided to remove it as I wanted to make my magazine cover more eye-catching as well as interesting.

In my previous ancillary task drafts I struggled to arrange text so that It was short and meaningful for my target audience but audience feedback from my media teachers eventually enabled me to do so. As you can see in the above image, various words of significance are coloured in blood red which not only connotes danger and violence but it also emphasises the words to my target audience because they stand out. Various other micro elements on the magazine cover such as the slogan and the small images on the left feature an outer glow effect with a high opacity and distance to give a foggy effect. This adds variety to my magazine cover and showcases typical conventions from thriller magazine covers.

  My original idea was to this this picture for my film poster which was met with criticism from my teachers and fellow students for not being menacing enough. Moreover, the shot composition was frequently labelled as clumsy. Therefore I decided to use the picture below for my film poster instead of the above image.

This image is particularly unnerving as the protagonist has an aggressive frown and the composition of the image is levelled so he is looking straight at the camera. This will connote that he is a powerful and aggressive character in our narrative. For my film poster I duplicated the image and moved each face parallel to each other for the poster showing two halves of the protagonists face. I was informed by my teachers that they believed it to be a very effective technique for sinister film posters in the thriller genre.

Above is my finished film poster with the discussed elements with the protagonists face in black and white. In summary I believe that the ancillary texts construction phase of the coursework was made more effective and interesting for me as a student due to the feedback that I received. I has taught me the valuable of micro elements that when combined together can produce a holistic, good quality piece.

My main product which is my film trailer has been altered and amended 3 times until myself and my group were happy with it which is described in further detail in the adjustments to my trailer opening post. However in terms of audience feedback, we were criticised in our initial draft for using unnecessary effects which we quickly amended such as the use of our protagonists daughter saying 'I hate you'. This was criticised because we failed to show the relationship between the aggressive comment and our protagonist. The improvements can also be noticed in some other previous posts of mine such as: First draft for our trailer, Second draft of our trailer and Final cut of our trailer opening.

Evaluation task 2

2.How effective is the  combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Evaluation task 1

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

Frame 1
My first frame is my magazine cover for Delirium which uses many typical conventions of the thriller genre. The first and most prevalent feature that uses typical genre conventions is my use of colour. The main features of the cover such as the main image and background are in black and white which will immediately signify darkness and mystery to my audience. The two key film trailers that I have referenced on my magazine cover were ''Delirium'' and ''Here I Come'' which are both highlighted in red which is standard iconography of Thriller themed texts as it looks more sinister than other neutral colours such as blue or green. This is because it has the connotation of blood and danger. The colour contrast between black and white and red also will also make the words stand out for my target audience which will quickly make them attentive. My magazine cover does develop some conventions as I made use of effects to bolster the look of some of my text. For example by adding an outer glow on to my slogan ''can you trust yourself'' makes it more identifiable in an alternative way than the red of the other text. This outer glow effect does also in fact challenge typical Thriller conventions as the ghostly glow is more often associated with the horror genre. I implemented this however to make the logo more memorable for my target audience. The other aspects of the cover such as the pictures to the left also challenge thriller conventions of real media products as it also appears ghostly. However I decided to incorporate this as a result of my analysis of The girl with the dragon tattoo (2011) which is a psychological thriller that made use of dark colours and added a ghostly feel to the ancillary texts which implied its dark theme.

Frame 2
The second frame that I haven chosen is my film poster for Delirium which challenges the typical conventions of real media products in the same way as my magazine cover does. My signature slogan ''Can you trust yourself''' is edited with the same outer glow opacity as my magazine cover which not only defies typical genre conventions but also will be a form of branding synergy to promote my product. However it does conform to conventions of real media products far more than my magazine cover as the entire poster has black and white. This is both in terms of font and colour. I have situated my slogan in a descending format so that my audience will see the other key information on the poster such as the building blocks and production company logo. The poster features two halves of his face which allows for the text in the middle of the image. This composition has proven effective as it will immediately draw the audiences attention to the main protagonist in the image which will make people focus on the poster. This will develop the conventions that thriller posters have which is drawing attention to a target audience. I decided to use that effect as a result of searching for Split (2017)'s film poster which had one half of the antagonists face across the left side of the screen. But for variety I used two halves of my protagonists face to emphasise his role as a character.



Frame 3
The third frame is a pivotal point in my film trailer where our protagonist is searching for clues as to who murdered his brother. He is frantically working to find out crucial information by analysing pictures and key dates which could be connected to the murder. In the scene that features this frame, the protagonist starts to become extremely frustrated that he cannot cope with the grief and anger as it overwhelms him. The shot in the frame is a mid shot which allows the audience to observe our protagonists body language which further suggests his catatonic state where he is fixated on just finding his brothers murderer and nothing else. The frame also features a kill board which is a key convention in any thriller narrative associated with investigation.This ties into the narrative with key pictures of fictional events. To support the claim of investigation the protagonist is dressed in a smart white business shirt with glasses which stereotypically connotes intelligence which will indirectly indicate that the protagonist is in a middle class job. In terms of crime and deviance, this contradicts typical forms and conventions of thrillers which normally show the working class suffering as victims of criminal activity.This iconography will entice my target audience who I believe will be strong supporters of the thriller genre.

Frame 4
The fourth frame in this post is extremely instrumental to the narrative as our protagonist has just been informed via telephone that his brother has been murdered and the shot shows his perfectly natural reaction. This frame signals the beginning of our protagonists psychological deterioration which will eventually culminate in his delirious vengeful state. Our protagonist is dressed In casual clothes and given the curtains in the background one would assume he is at home. This adds verisimilitude to our film as it shows that key events can occur at any place at any given time. This frames develops conventions from real media products as it shows raw emotions that are always seen in the thriller genre as secondary cast members are often killed off to provide a disruption to the narrative. This would most likely produce extreme problems for a protagonist which is what is shown in our film as he starts to lose his sanity.

Frame 5
The fifth frame of my analysis is a wide shot of our protagonist in an office environment which is presumably his place of work. As the shot is static, the audience would not be able to know that he is very frantically writing which shows he is under pressure to complete important work. This is supported by the pile of books next to him showing that he is far too busy. This in the same scene involving cuts, will show a ''snapping point'' where our protagonist will start to express his frustrations and grief at work by damaging the office. This uses typical genre conventions as all highly stressed characters in thrillers and psychological thrillers do eventually succumb to pressure from their lives. Also in the scene we added extra external agitators such as people being noisy and those people banging on the windows which will influence his breakdown.

Frame 6
The sixth frame of my analysis shows our protagonist in an antagonistic role where he is strangling his son and staring at him aggressively. This supports the idea that his psychological deterioration is in full effect and that his stresses at his workplace are affecting his interpersonal relationships at home. It is a close up shot that captures both of their facial expressions with his son very distressed and frightened. It is at this point in the trailer that our protagonist will shift to an antagonist as he starts to exhibit characteristics of a villainous person. In the foreground of the shot there are bricks from the outside of the house and in the background there are ordinary bins. This creates verisimilitude where it shows that what has happened to our lead character could happen to anybody showing the profound effect of tragedy on ordinary people. To further suggest the mood of the shot, both characters are dressed in black which is a stereotypical convention of highly intense scenes in thrillers and it is raining on a very cloudy day. This use of pathetic fallacy again connotes the nature of the shot as being intense and dark.

Frame 7
Towards the end of our trailer it is established that our protagonist has changed roles and frame 7 fully supports that idea. This is shown by our protagonist looking directly at the camera in a long shot. This will allow the audience to observe the setting for the shot.  He is again dressed in dark colours and it is pitch black in the photograph which connotes the intensity of the scene due to pathetic fallacy and careful use of mise-en-scene. He wields a hammer in his left hand which given previous events in the trailer, our target audience should be able to infer that our protagonist wants to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his brother.

Frame 8
The eighth frame of my analysis is the final title for our trailer. It involves a parallax effect where the particles around it are moving making it more memorable for our audience. The title features cracks in the font which we decided to implement as it symbolises how are protagonists life is crumbling. This is a form of enigma code for our audience to decipher at the end of the trailer. It has a white hue to it which directly contrasts with the pitch black in the background. This makes the title more visibly striking for our target audience.

Frame 9
The final frame of my analysis consists of billing blocks that have all of the key people in the making of the trailer with the Director, Producer and camera crew all included. This uses typical conventions of film trailers as it is essential that the audience understand who should be credited for the making of the trailer. It also features the release date in a separate slightly larger and more unique font which will focus the audiences attention on the key date more. This is the date that the film would hypothetically be released for consumption at cinemas.

Timeline of our Delirium trailer

0.01- The new production company logo for mortem productions appears with a popping up smiling face.
0.05- Cuts begin for our trailer with our protagonist in central view for the audience.
0.14- The cuts end with the first full sequence of content where our protagonist wakes up in the middle of the night.
0.18- A phone rings so our protagonist gets up and dressed to answer the phone.
0.30- During the phone call, this is the moment that our protagonist has been notified of his brothers murdered which is crucial to the narrative.
0.35- There is a quick flash to end the scene
0.39- The first intertitle of the trailer ''This February'' appears on screen which is the release date for our trailer.
0.42- pencil scribbling signifies our protagonists breaking point
0.48- The second intertitle of our trailer ''Paul Leigh'' appears on screen which is the real name of our protagonist.
0.50- Orchestra style hums for non-diegetic sound are heard as background noise for the first time connoting tension.
0.54- Our protagonist is seen looking up to the sky in a sombre pose
1.03- Our protagonist is shown investigating people that could potentially be involved in his brothers death.
1.09- This frame is important because it shows him snapping as he throws paperwork from across a table. This is shown in slow motion to see his anger.
1.18- Our protagonist is seen strangling an unknown character being extremely aggressive, it is presumed that he is shouting at his son.
1.23- There is an extreme close up shot of our protagonist's face as he is walking without purpose. This aimless walking for our preferred reading is for our audience to see him as a depressive who is failing to function adequately.
1.24- There is a fade to black where all sound stops building anticipation for our audience.
1.25- Then our protagonist is shown in darkness around him with a hammer in his left hand suggesting either vengeance for his brothers death or he was the murderer. We wanted to implement this as a cliff hanger to keep our audience about the plot of the film.
1.27- Our film trailer title appears ''Delirium'' which features cracks to signify our protagonists life falling apart around him.
1.33- The final frame appears which has the billing block for our film showcasing all the important people in the making of Delirium.

Magazine cover for delirium

Film poster for Delirium