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

In all stages of my coursework I used many forms of media. The three main resources were the internet, editing software and Microsoft which were all easily accessible to me. This helped me complete my coursework efficiently and professionally. 

Throughout the research stages, search engines such as Google aided me in searching for information easily, offering me an endless amount of sites, relevant to me develop my understanding of horror film history and its influences. I was also able to find existing magazines and posters for me to analyse, and in turn influence my own construction of my poster and magazine. Seeing these codes and conventions all in line together on the internet really made it clear how similar and restrictive the structure of these ancillary tasks would be to help me make an informed decision on whether I wanted to use, develop of break these conventions. I was also able to find existing horror trailers on Youtube which helped me compare conventional texts with less conventional texts, such as ‘The Shining’ trailer. QuestionPro was also available to me through the internet and was another media technology that was extremely beneficial to me in my research stages. This site enabled me to make a survey quickly and easily and then distribute it online by simply copying and pasting the URL onto social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This gained a much larger audience and as it was online, people were much more likely to fill it out as it would only take a few moments. The bigger the audience I reached, the more reliable my results would be and gave me more of an idea of what to include in my trailer and ancillary tasks. After gaining all the information I needed from QuestionPro, I then used Microsoft PowerPoint to create a slideshow and present my research clearly. The graphs I used in this slideshow were created on Excel, another Microsoft programme which helped me create the graphs to complement the data I had gathered. 

For the planning stages of my coursework, Microsoft Word was used to create the call sheets and many other documents that would be used on set. I also wrote the synopsis on Microsoft Word as it would have been spell checked automatically and easy to copy and paste straight on to my blog. I was able to create tables, useful when creating call sheets, and was able to move text about freely. This was much more time effective that hand writing all of these documents. 

During the construction of my ancillary tasks, I used many media forms. When working at school I had access to Microsoft Publisher which is an extremely used friendly programme to create publications (such as my magazine cover and poster) in. However, I did not have access to this at home but found that PowerPoint allowed me to move items about just as freely as Publisher so this was extremely convenient. I also used Adobe Photoshop to edit the images for my ancillary tasks. This included cropping, adding filters (such as the grained effect on my poster) and using tools to remove blemishes etc, giving me the desired image for my final constructions. 

The typography I used for ‘Reprisal’ was found on dafont.com. This is a website with a broad selection of fonts in many categories such as ‘horror’. I knew the type of typography I wanted and looked under the ‘typewriter’ category and found the most appropriate one. Without dafont I would have either had to go with a boring Microsoft font that would not have fitted my brand identity, or start completely from scratch which would have taken a lot of time and skill which I have not yet acquired on Photoshop. 

Serif Movie Plus was the main programme we used to edit the footage we had captured on set. This programme was difficult to get your head around at first and was extremely tedious when it came to the small details but if you know your way around the programme then it is a good tool to use in the post-production process of a small film. We also worked closely with a sound engineer to create the perfect soundtrack for our trailer using Cubase Software. Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound was used to accompany the events within our trailer as we did not have control over the sound produced on location (e.g. passing cars, crowds etc). 

One of the most important, if not the most important media technology in the construction of our trailer was the camera. The development in technology over the last decade has enabled us to film on cameras which are portable and create footage which is easily downloadable on to a hard-drive, making the whole process a lot smoother and easier. If it were not for this advancement in technology, we would still be using film and editing the trailer by cutting the reel and sticking it back down in the desired place. 

Lastly, the evaluation stage of my coursework was largely done on Microsoft Word for accurate spelling and grammar checking.

Conclusively, the use of media technologies in order to carry out my coursework was vital. Had it not been for the internet each step would have meant doing individual research to find physical copies of the magazines and posters and that is just a small section of the coursework project. These media technologies have been used in every step of my coursework, even to the last point of presenting it on a blog using blogger.com. Having it all on one place to view is extremely helpful in terms of comparing and seeing my brand identity as a whole.  

Evaluation: 3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

One of the most important components throughout this project has been the feedback I have gathered from my target demographic. Through doing this research I gained vital knowledge into what they wanted and was able to cater my products to suit their needs. Doing this through many means of research gave me broad and reliable results to help shape the direction of my project. 

My initial research was carried out on the site QuestionPro.com which allowed me to create a survey and post it on social networking sites to gain insight into what my target demographic wanted. This helped me make an informed decision on what age rating I should give my film and my group and I decided upon a 18 certificate based on the audience feedback. Questions such as ‘favourite murder weapon’ and ‘scariest location’ gave us ideas on what scenarios we could carry out within our trailer and help us consider which conventions we should use, develop or break. 

After we completed the trailer, we held a focus group where we screened the trailer and everyone completed a short questionnaire to help them evaluate our work. Open questions were necessary to receive detailed, qualitative answers and aid us in seeing problems which may have passed our minds. We asked them to reply with honest opinions in order for us to get reliable answers and then take actions to improve.

The questions gave us insight into what conventions were recognisable and allowed us to compare our piece with other conventions within the industry. Many responses mentioned the soundtrack which built up in pace, complimenting the pace of the camera work and editing. Also, the production company logos, colour scheme (black, white and red), captions, end card and voiceover were all mentioned which shows we have adhered to many conventions within the genre and trailers in general. 

Also to understand what the audience liked most about our trailer, in order to see whether we had conveyed the narrative successfully or not. The majority of participants explained that they liked the use of point of view shots as this broke a convention of many generic slasher films. They also commented that from this angle they felt even more uneasy about what they were watching which was an aim of ours from the outset. This was a success for our group as these two key features of our trailer really expresses the roots and inspiration of our film, Peeping Tom. 

The responses on what our audience believed could be improved. The most popular response was identifying the lack of variety in terms of shots and skills in conveying the meaning of the narrative through mise en scene. I believe this is true as many of the emotions and tension which we had aimed to convey through the trailer just weren't effective at all. Additionally, many said the use of dialogue was vague and could have aided them in understanding the plot a lot better. I also agree with this as a trailer still needs to transmit the main plot of the film without giving away the resolution. However, it may appear that our group were too afraid of giving anything away as the twist was such a vital part to our story so we restricted ourselves in terms of ‘not giving too much away’ and sacrificed successfully conveying the narrative in our trailer.

Lastly, as the focus group consisted of around 20 people, we wanted to gain some further in-depth and broad knowledge about our trailer so posted it on various social networking sites to gain some feedback. Reinforcing points from our focus group, viewers liked the use of soundtrack and point of view camera angles. We expected to not get many critical yet constructive comments as it was a public post but we did receive some very helpful feedback. Some commented that they wished more of the narrative was conveyed in the trailer as it was difficult to follow, much like answers we received from the focus group. This reinforced our answers from before go give us broad and reliable audience feedback.

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

The project consisted of one main product: the construction of the horror trailer and two ancillary texts the front page of a film magazine and a film poster. These three texts are coherent and work effectively to promote the slasher film. The trailer and poster are effective through the visual representation as the brand identity is consistent within both. The brand identity is represented through the colour scheme and typography.

The typography is exceptionally significant in the brand identity; the typography within in the title reflects the genre of the film. The use of red conveys the genre and narrative of the film to the audience. Red symbolises blood which suggests that this is a slasher film. Also the sharp edges of the typography convey that the weapon of the killer is a knife.

. This reinforces the narrative of the slasher genre film. The use of semiotics has assisted me to develop a title with effective typography portraying the narrative of the film.

Additionally the colour scheme is an essential aspect of the brand identity. The use of the colours black red and white is consistent throughout the trailer and the poster. However not entirely throughout the magazine as it has a brand identity of its own, as the producer of the film has no control of how the film is featured. Although the producer has no control over how the film is featured this is a good example of synergy. As the film promotes magazine and vice versa. This means they are both beneficial to one another. The use of the colour black, which has connotations of death, evil mystery and sorrow, is highly effective as it reflects the main elements of the narrative. These connotations follow the basic formula of a slasher-horror genre as it foreshadows the events that will occur in the film. Also the colour white symbolises purity good and youthfulness. This therefore helps to represent the conflict that the group of teenagers face within the film as well as the conflict of good vs. evil and life vs. death.  The colour red has significant connotations of danger and blood; however it also represents the emotions with in the trailer such as anger. Also the use of black and white in the colour scheme. As well as a dark tone is reminiscent in ‘Film noir and German expressionism’ films this influenced the slasher -horror genre.

Furthermore, the images I used in the poster involved the main characters of the horror film. The main of image was of the killer in a mask, he is positioned centrally indicating the plot also revolves around him. His face is not recognisable which follows the conventions of slasher films, as the identity of the killer is unknown. The killer is dressed in all black clothing which conveys death foreshadowing future events. Also part of the main image is the final girl which suggests she is a significant character in the film. As wells as Chloe who is also part of the main image she is however positioned further back slightly behind the killer. This represents that she is from the killers past which is evident in the narrative. The colour intensity of the photo is fairly low and the filter is black and white which follows the aspects of ‘Film Noir’ and ‘German Expressionism ‘media texts. 

The poster included the typography within the title as this is a part of the brand identity which is consistent. This is so the audience can identify the poster and recognise it to be promotion for the film. This follows of the Uses and gratification theory of information as the poster is an informative piece of media text. The credits and certificate are also included in the poster as they are conventions of film posters.

As this is an independent film, the budget is low therefore it is essential to use other marketing techniques to effectively promote the film. The combination of film poster, trailer and magazine coverage collectively create ‘buzz’ and awareness.

Due to this, other marketing techniques must be used to maximise the profits of the film. Audiences are fragmented as individuals can now gain access to information, entertainment etc., from many different media outlets.  Therefore, independent films need to assure a multi-platform approach, in order to ensure that they reach their fragmented audience. 

One problem with this is that independent films do not have the money or means to benefit from vertical and horizontal integration, like many blockbuster films. Vertical integration is the process in which several steps in the production and distribution are controlled by a single company; this increases that company’s power in the marketplace. Horizontal integration involves owning several media platforms which can promote the film e.g. radio, TV stations, newspapers etc. As this is unavailable for independent films, they need to go about their marketing campaign in a different way.

Social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter must be used; this is because this is now a powerful source of communication and information for your audience, this would make it easier for you to target your audience. Social networking sites are based on a ‘many to many’ approach. Where everyone has the power to produce, promote and engage with media content, rather than the ‘few to many ‘ format of old media.  This is where only a few powerful conglomerates control the media content. Social networking sites are a cheap way of advertising, as they are free, allowing you to promote your film freely without any charges. Although, not everything on social networking sites goes viral, you would hope for viral success. Through social networking sites you can encourage exchange, in the form of competitions. Via twitter you can also encourage the actors to document the production process. This would mean that opinion leaders (theory of two-step flow of communication) would already be engaging with the film, and are therefore more likely to see it. If the opinion leaders create a buzz about the film it is then more likely to escape into the mainstream. If the buzz starts to develop, then TV and Radio advertisement could be an option.

Although, it is important to remember that old and new media need to be used in order to create an effective marketing campaign, however the brand identity needs to be kept, even whilst adapting to new media formats. A good webpage can help the success of a film, like in the case of The Blair Witch Project, where the website created a “buzz” about the film by making people believe that the film was entirely true. It featured articles about the “missing” victims, pictures, information about the legend of the Blair Witch, and so on. The webpage also encourages synergy, where the film and the webpage promote and benefit each other equally. 

Overall considering all these factors it is possible to achieve an effective marketing campaign, maximising the success and profit of the film.

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

All films have codes and conventions that help audiences to identify the difference between genres. Over time films have recombined codes and conventions to create sub genres, the slasher is one of these. It was derived from the horror genre however, differences such as explicit gore resulted in it claiming a place of its own as a sub-category within the horror genre.  Films, especially those of recent years, have tried challenging and developing traditional conventions to entertain their audience, refreshing the old, recycled storylines by introducing twists. However, many codes and conventions have remained in place to allow familiarity and recognition of these genres. I too, have subverted as well as maintained certain codes and conventions throughout my three ancillary tasks.

Trailer:

Slasher films can be identified through certain conventions: there is usually a group of friends whom are picked off in an order according to their character, a psychotic killer who is usually male and either an extent amount of gore or fraction, this is dependant on the age restriction.This can be seen in such films as; Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream and Friday the 13th. Within my trailer the final girl is represented with the conventional characteristics. She is the main character who the killer is after. She posses the typical qualities  of the a final girl. From her appearance it is clear she is particularly quirky, well dressed and less feminine. She falls into the stereotypical view of a 'nerd'. As the final girl is pivotal character in the horror sub genre 'slasher'. We decided to maintain and incorporate this convention. As the audience can recognise and familiarise with it, this guarantees viewership.

The final girl although being seen as the hero within the slasher films, as she defeats the 'monster', can also be seen as evil, representing castration. This theory, developed on Mulvey's male gaze and built on the basis of Freud's psychological theory, allowed Creed to argue that within media women are often presented as monstrous or abject, and that the most obvious place to locate this representation is in horror films. The idea that when a male child leaves their pre-oedipal space (world in which the child is connected to their mother on a deeper level) and takes their place in the symbolic order (the real world), it is extremely traumatic, as this when he recognises that his mother does not contain the same genitalia. This is where castration is introduced, as they feel threatened (subconsciously) by their mother, fearing their masculinity will be stripped from them. Thus resulting in the mother symbolising castration and women being seen as evil. 

The first girl is another convention in which we followed, she is the first to be killed within slasher films and is the most promiscuous. 'Ashley' conveys her promiscuity by wearing tight clothing, being seductive and sexual. Her clothes are revealing and her hair is blonde typically the colour of the first girl, reinforcing the slasher conventions. The reason the most promiscuous girl is killed first within slashers, is due to the recurring 'patterns of meaning' that is reinforced within slasher films by our patriarchal society. The message of usual slasher films is that girls should not be promiscuous and instead virginal, which is why the final girl lives as she is seen as virtuous and worthy.

In addition the first girl is on the phone to a stranger who she flirts with over the phone , this is an intertextual reference to 'Scream'. The scene in which the first girl receives a phone call from ghost face (killer). A specific group of the audience will recognise this and it will boosts their ego.

The killer wears a mask and his identity remains concealed. This is a common convention for the killer have face disfigurement/mask to which keeps the identity and mystery. This is evident in such famous slashers : 'Halloween' and 'Nightmare on Elmstreet'.

The location in slasher horror films is frequently a house in the suburbs. As the audience can personally relate to the characters. This is intentionally done as it creates the feeling of no one being safe. 




One of the most formal conventions of a trailer is that of the production company logos being displayed at the start of the trailer. For ours, we included three as it is an independent film the budget would have to come from various sources and so we have; 'Penny Productions' which is our main production company, and it is in association with 'Film 4'. These captions help create the code of the trailer as it is so commonly used



 

Todorov's theory of narrative, as demonstrated above, suggests that stories begin with an equilibrium, this is then disrupted in some way, recognition of this disruption occurs and leads to an attempt at resolving it, eventually a new equilibrium is formed in which the characters are transformed through the progress of the disruption. These five stages are apparent within every slasher film and can also be located within my own. 

The introduction of the characters is also an introduction to the equilibrium and their normal routine. In which the first girl goes about her normal life.This is disrupted when the killer targets her and the final girl.  As this is the trailer we do include evidence of a resolution,restored order and new equilibrium this is because it will spoil the crucial parts of the film.

The film end card is an essential and traditional convention. It is informative as it includes the principal cast and crew as well as the production and distribution companies. It contributes to the film appearing more professional. Which is beneficial as the slasher genre is sometimes not regarded as a serious film genre.







Poster:


My media poster is quite conventional, it contains a main image which is representative of the genre and portrays the narrative. the images I used in the poster involved the main characters of the horror film. The main of image was of the killer in a mask, he is positioned centrally indicating the plot also revolves around him. His face is not recognisable which follows the conventions of slasher films, as the identity of the killer is unknown. The killer is dressed in all black clothing which conveys death foreshadowing future events. Also part of the main image is the final girl which suggests she is a significant character in the film. As wells as Chloe who is also part of the main image she is however positioned further back slightly behind the killer. This represents that she is from the killers past which is evident in the narrative. The colour intensity of the photo is fairly low and the filter is black and white which follows the aspects of ‘Film Noir’ and ‘German Expressionism ‘media texts. 

The poster included the typography within the title as this is a part of the brand identity which is consistent. This is so the audience can identify the poster and recognise it to be promotion for the film. This follows of the Uses and gratification theory of information as the poster is an informative piece of media text. The credits and certificate are also included in the poster as they are conventions of film posters.

Just as displayed on the end card, the principle cast and crew are also found on the poster. I decided to use on of the caption from my film as the tagline for my poster so that a brand identity could be established within the different products and could be identified by the audience.

Magazine:
 

For my magazine, I have decided to use a pre-existing magazine; Fangoria. This is because Fangoria is a genre specific, film magazine. Fangoria does not cover blockbusters but instead tends to cover small budget independent films. This gives independent horror’s, like mine, a chance to reach out to the niche audience that Fangoria attracts. This would therefore help me attract my audience to a certain extent. 

The masthead follows normal codes and conventions within magazines as it is the biggest bit of typography on the page. The word “Fangoria” is used in order to reinforce the type of magazine this is. “Fan” refers to fangs which is associated with vampires and therefore the gothic form of horror films. Whereas “Gor” suggests to us that a lot of gory is used and presented within this magazine. This reinforces the horror genre that this magazine covers. 

The colour scheme is red, which has connotations of blood. Although, by using the red with yellow it is reminiscent of the famous video nasties. The slasher genre has the image of being cheap, and therefore this is another way to reinforce the genre this magazine covers. The two colours also clash which is ‘jarring’ and kind of vulgar, this is consistent with gory horror films.

The main image follows the convention of being central within the front cover of the magazine

The main feature story covers my film; Reprisal. The same typography is used within the other ancillary texts.  in order to create a reoccurring brand identity. It also fits in with the theme of the chosen magazine. Fangoria also often use the films own typography within the feature story, allowing me to follow the codes and conventions of the magazine, as well as keep the film’s brand identity. Underneath I have

I followed the convention of using stills from films on the front page, within a film reel. This is an example of iconography, as a film reel is iconic of the film industry. I have placed this on the left hand side of the page. This is there in order to inform the audience that this is a film magazine, as well as to tell them what films to expect to be covered within each issue. This is a developed convention of feature stories in order to attract the targeted niche audience of the magazine.

The barcode is placed in a conventional place by being at the bottom left corner; this is quite a discrete place where no attention is dragged towards it. The barcode is an essential part of the magazine in order for it to be able to be sold in shops. I have also placed a price, issue number and date on the front cover on the magazine. This is of an informative value for the audiences, and these are the traditional elements of all magazines. I have also included the Fangoria website on the front cover, which encourages the audiences the visit the magazine website. The website will also encourage the audiences to buy the magazine, and this is therefore an example of synergy.

Construction: Final Trailer

Construction: Final Magazine

Construction: Final Poster