Evaluation - question 4

Planning and Research

• Throughout the planning and production of our trailer, we have been logging our progress on blogger.com. This website was very useful for organizing each step we took in producing our trailer and progressing in overcoming complications we came across such as schedules for filming. All in in all it was the best way to share are work and finished product.

• We gained inspiration from various film trailers on Youtube. The website was helpful as it contains more or less the trailers of all mainstream movies that are released. We researched a range of different trailers on Youtube including the ‘Phone Booth.’











• Before filming we took pictures with a still shot camera of our movie trailer setting The camera we used was the Olympus E-20 SLR. The purpose of the this was to to gain familiarity with the environment we were filming in and come up with ideas of what kind of shots we wanted to film with our shot list. The camera itself was of good use as the pictures we took were able to be of the highest quality.

• We researched other movie synopsises on Wikipedia for plot ideas for our own production. We were able to read synopsises of movies that we saw as big influences on our own production. This gave us a blueprint of how to write up a clear and interesting synopsis for our trailer that would inform audiences of the narrative of our trailer.

Construction

• To film our trailer we used a Sony HD Camcorder. This camera was use as despite being a handheld camera, the HD quality allowed the quality of the camera shots and movements to be of the highest standard. We were able to do this even with a minimum amount of lighting.

• Adobe Premier Pro is the program we used to edit our movie trailer

It was used to put the trailer sequence in order and to add the Terminator soundtrack to the trailer which was extracted from a Youtube video. It was also used to add the titling and credits and to add dramatic sound and visual effects.




• To create the movie poster and magazine cover we used the program, Adobe Photoshop

We used Google images to research movie posters and magazine cover for inspiration and to be refixed in photoshop for the purposes of completing our ancillary tasks. We cut and pasted pictures of our actor that we had taken earlier onto the background of the promotional poster for the movie, The Departed. We then copied and pasted a Google image of Liverpool Street to replace the blank white background. We used the function of turning the entire product to monochrome on Photoshop. Finally we added the text and a gunshot aim drawn with the options on Photoshop. We decided red was the best colour for this as it is attention grabbing and it suited the theme of the movie trailer.

Technology used for Evaluation
• Various Youtube clips were used to show the sources of video and audio using print
screenshots were used to illustrate the different websites and programs that were used in the production of our film trailer.

Evaluation - Question 3

What have you learnt from your audience feedback?

The audience “countdown,” aims at is the young demographic, from 16-25 years. It applies to all ethnic groups and focuses on males in the society, although females may also enjoy this type of film. The video is aimed at males, as the protagonist starring is male which may give them more interest, in the suspense and mystery genre film, where they can make social comparisons to the society that they live in. I think a variety of men of different classes will be attracted to watch the film as it includes action scenes that can attract interest to any class and age group.

The “countdown,” trailer had been streamed on YouTube for it to be viewed publicly. The trailer was then posted on face book with the YouTube link for feedback on what face book friends had thought of the trailer.


Below are some quoted comments of what they thought of the trailer:

“I love the part where the voice says' run', and there is a slow motion of the guy turning around. Very effective!.. i really really like it, I’ve played it about 3 times already!”

“BRILLIANT!! Love the way its hard to understand what the voice-over guy is saying as it makes us focus more, plus it adds to the suspense created by the music as well as the night sky..”

“I would watch it. Since i last saw it, it has improved. The voice over makes it effective”

“Love the background music, runs along with the scenes and especially when he says run!”

“I don't really know what the plot-line is- or maybe that has something to do with not understanding voice over..:s”

The majority of feedbacks were positive and have enjoyed the combination of music and film scenes, and would not mind watching the film. The scene where the voice over says “run” has been effective and well liked by a number of viewers. There was one comment on not being able to understand the voice over due to the tone of voice, which may have caused confusion on what the plot line was, although they knew from the music and film scenes that the trailer was based on suspense. In conclusion, the voice over could have been improved for clarity of the plot line, but it is the theme of confusion that I think attracts the audience to want to watch the film.

Evaluation - Question 2

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

When producing the final product I wanted there to be a connection between the elements of the trailer and poster so the audience can link the two. However; the magazine front cover does not follow the conventions set by the poster and trailer as a magazine has its own set of conventions.

Film posters are used to advertise the film. Film posters are displayed inside and outside of movie theatres, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. It is a way of exhibiting the film and to increase interest. It will usually have a large film title and actor names alongside a tag with film credits. It is an artistic interpretation of a scene and even the theme of the film, represented in a wide variety of artistic styles.

“Countdown,” concentrates on Benjamin and his phone, where he receives his calls. Therefore, the scene of him in the phone booth is important to selling the film as one of its main film scenes. The image is converted into black and white in order to make the red colours stand out on the poster. The theme of a red gun target and bold red font for the film title helps to emphasize the image and imply danger, which helps add continuity to the way the film trailer is edited.

In comparison to the “Law abiding citizen,” film poster, the common elements shared between the poster and the trailer of these films have their own colour theme. The main colours used in countdown are white, black and red which is an intense colour scheme to catch the viewers attention. The posters share a style of large font film title with actor names; therefore, by seeing just the title, the audience can make an instant link between the two products. A film caption and a small tag with film credits are also included as small details about the film.

As a result, the film poster has helped promote the film alongside the teaser trailer by using elements such as a bold eye catching image that reflects the film plot line, by using a black and white colour effect to enhance the contrast for a vivid image of the protagonist on the phone.

The red bold font of the film title ‘Countdown,’ vividly connotates the danger and risk to the image and conveys the genre convention of the film. Furthermore,The actor names in the white font creates awareness of who is starring, which can attract the audience and increase interest. The poster has helped to artistically express what the film is about in a still image format which is important in order to grab the potential audience’s attention even if they have or haven’t seen the trailer yet.

Magazines are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three.


There are many different types of magazines that are aimed at various types of audiences. It is important to consider the target audience and what goes on the front cover in order to produce sales.

The magazine that features countdown is called “Buzz.” “Buzz,” is aimed to be a movie magazine which is significant for a wide audience who are interested in the latest films. The magazine cover is inspired by “Empire,” magazine which updates you on the latest movies released.

In comparison of “Empire,” magazine and “Buzz,” they share a bold magazine title with a highlighted colour to entice the reader. It includes a main image of the leading character from the film. The leading image helps to advertise the continuity of scenes from the film which allows readers to recognise what film is being featured. Special features of the magazine such as gossip, competitions and interviews encloses you to read the rest of the magazine and is an attractive method for the buyer to purchase it and helps to advertise further information of what “countdown,” is about. The film caption “60 seconds worth of distance run,” is also included on the magazine cover to advertise the film caption of the film.


Moreover, simplicity in font and layout is presented in the poster and magazine front cover because Benjamin is the symbol of the film, so it is the image of him which needs to be outstanding for the audience. Clearly Benjamin is the main character in the film; therefore he features in all three products. The character is almost in all scenes of the trailer and he is the first character introduced. Therefore it was mandatory for him to be the cover image on the front cover magazine as he is the symbol of the film and it is him who the audience will recognise. The image creates a strong connection between the products. So by simple glance, the audience will see the cover image and identify him.


Overall, in my opinion the trailer and the poster are more commonly linked as they follow the same pattern/convention however the magazine front cover has more of its own structure and convention so may not appear to be obviously linked to the trailer and poster although it is an good advertising technique for the exhibition of this new film release.