MEDIA A-LEVEL EVALUATION

1. MEDIA A-LEVEL EVALUATION Rosie Harrison - Pinder

2. IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS

3. In what ways does your media product use conventions of a real media product? I have analysed three different trailers, to help gain a greater knowledge on film trailers. By doing this research it is evident that film trailers are made as “teasers” to attract inquisition and attention to films that will be entering cinemas in a short amount of time, usually three months maximum after the trailer is first released . I have used codes and conventions of a real media product in my own trailer to give it the feel of a real film trailer. In my own product the length of my trailer is 2min 30 seconds long, and real trailers are normally between 2and 3min 30secs long. I have used the production logo to give the audience an indication of the budget of the film they are about to watch, and who has created it. If the production company is well-known and liked, or have produced other successful films, people may want to watch films produced by these, so including the logo on the trailer may encourage more people to watch the film. The British board of film classification determines the minimum age that are allowed to watch certain films, determined by their content. This tells the audience the target audience so they know whether or not the film will be suitable for them. Introducing cast and crew In film trailers the names of actors and actresses involved are usually included, to entice potential audience members. For example, Brad Pitt is a well-known and loved actor, therefore people who like his work may be encouraged to watch the film purely because he is in it. Sometimes in film trailers, it will also say ‘from the director of…’ which is another way of enticing audience, as if people like a certain director, they are likely to enjoy watching more films by them as they will assume the content is similar to those they have enjoyed before.

4. I think the film poster I have created ties in well with the conventions of a real tear jerker trailer. In order to get the real effect that I wanted, I researched other media posters of the genre I was aiming to achieve. Underneath are two examples of film posters on the left and right, and my final film poster in the middle. You can immediately see the similarities in the poses used. I chose these poses to represent unison of the couple and so the viewer knows what type of film they would be watching. The film poster however, is largely a conventional example in that it features a strong image from the film, it has short reviews a star rating and an age rating, The film magazine front cover I have created mostly follows conventional patterns of real media products, which I have found to be firstly, the magazine name is clear and at the top. Usually going across the main image. Images on the front targeting a certain audience or reflecting a specific and easily recognisable film genre Colour schemes are matching a maybe perhaps tie in with the main image Font sizes vary on more important headings Several cover lines surrounding the main image to show what’s inside The price and barcode are displayed. The film magazine front cover I have created mostly follows conventional patterns of real media products, which I have found to be firstly, the magazine name is clear and at the top. Usually going across the main image. Images on the front targeting a certain audience or reflecting a specific and easily recognisable film genre Colour schemes are matching a maybe perhaps tie in with the main image Font sizes vary on more important headings Several cover lines surrounding the main image to show what’s inside The price and barcode are displayed.

5. In what ways does your media product challenge conventions of a real media product? However I did challenge the codes and conventions by not having much talking or a voiceover in my trailer, trailers will usually have a voice over to guide the audience through the I did this as it would build up more tension as the audience would only have a vague idea of what is going on. This is effective as it is a shorter trailer, therefore it should make the audience feel hooked and want to go and see the film to find out what happens. My magazine front cover challenges conventions of a real media product because of the masthead being in front of the model rather than above or behind, I have done this to emphasise the magazine’s title and for stand out appeal on the magazine shelf in stores. The image I chose was of a couple rather than a single model and the image itself was purposely taken to look as if it was a still from the film. This in itself increases the effect of the trailer in appealing directly to the readers of the magazine as the potential audience of the film. This is a challenge to the convention of film magazine cover where the star of the movie is often shot in a studio setting.

6. The film poster in some ways challenges conventions of real media products, the strongest way it does this is by changing the layout to be landscape as most film trailers I have researched are setup as portrait. The reason I have done this is because the picture I have chosen of the couple is one that is very striking and I wanted the audience to concentrate more on their faces and passion for each other than their outfits and figures. I chose the photo to be landscape to get the tree and nature in behind them to catch a setting and have the most realistic background possible, rather than a staged shoot. Therefore, by producing a landscape poster I had a lot more space, which I actually filled well. Again, challenging conventions I put quotes and a rating on my poster which would usually be done on a DVD case, I did this because I wanted the audience to get a chance to see how well the reception for the film had been and to see which famous stars were playing the main roles- which is why I put the actors names rather large as well known actors would realistically catch attention of an audience.

7. How does your media product develop conventions of a real media product In choosing to create a trailer for a film in the romantic/tear jerker genre I wanted to focus on appealing to an audience who would be aware (even subconsciously) of “reading” the codes and conventions or meta language of the genre. Audiences are sophisticated in their consumption of and response to the huge range of films they view and are constantly absorbing and digesting signs within media products. My products conduct an emotional dialogue with the audience just by seeing the magazine front cover or poster. What are these signs they are reading?

8. HOW EFFECTIVEISTHE COMBINATION OFTHE MAINPRODUCT AND THE ANCILLARY TASKS?

9. When looking at my final products and trailer together, I can see that they look smart professional and compliment each other, this is because the romance is the main attraction throughout as the couple together are featured on every one. Subsequently meaning if the theme of the products are seen it is instantly recognisable if seen again. Especially because the poses of the couple are so natural and eye catching on each one. As you can see below, the magazine front cover and poster are very similar. The same font is used through out even in the trailer, the photos I have used in the ancillary task are different in that the poses are strikingly different but similar in the colour effect- which is a blue to compliment the “forget me not” theme. This makes them effective as a theme often is imprinted on the audiences mind. In each of the products the actress and actor are dressed in similar way which represents the time in which the film is supposed to be set in. When comparing the ancillary task to the trailer we can see they are effective because they compliment the video in that the shots in both of the tasks reflect love and passion which is what is emphasised in the trailer which expresses feelings of sadness and love. This can be seen on the poster, trailer and cover through the pictures and moving image, there fore each product relates to one another. Also the actress and actor in the trailer wear the same clothing as the ones on the poster and magazine cover, this is effective because people will recognise the genre and know what to expect.

10. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?

11. From my audience feedback, I have learnt that it is the most important thing to consider, before attempting to create my own media products. Before beginning the construction of my media products, I did a questionnaire on JotFormthat when answered would help me better understand who my target audience is and what they want from my media product. I had a rough idea of what I personally wanted to achieve in my product, but I needed to clarify that other people would want to see and enjoy the same thing. When I got the results back, I learnt and built from my audience feedback and improved on my initial ideas making my product more viewer friendly and realistic. However, there are some aspects I would change. For example I may include more speaking in the trailer to gain extra interest, but I have learnt this from my audience feedback, not just my own.

12. HOW DIDYOUUSEMEDIA TECHNOLOGIESIN THE CONSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH, PLANNINGAND EVALUTIONSTAGES?

13. Construction This process involved me taking and editing photos and clips. This is where I started to use hands on technology, for example digital cameras and editing programmes, as I could finally put my ideas onto paper. I used Photoshop to edit my pictures. This was helpful to get the right lighting, colour and text. It was easier to add the main text to the poster and magazine front cover for the poster instead of doing this on Microsoft Publisher as it gave me a better range of different effects, colours and fonts. The layout of the programme is simple and clean which made it easy to find the tools you need to use. Photoshop was a very useful programme for my photos to make them look professional and fresh. This was because it allowed me to edit my images in a detailed way, making them exactly how wanted them to look and feel. I used the colour tool which made my couple look brighter and more nostalgic with the blue toned colour. I also used the spot tool around my actors face to clean off any blemishes to make the photos seem realistically useable in a poster or magazine, this gave my actors an airbrushed look. I blurred the background of the images making the main centre images (of the couple) stand out more and fully take your attention. This was important because I wanted my images to be of a high standard and look like they’d been taken professionally, Below are two images that have been altered to fit my magazines needs. One is of the first image taken, the other has been edited on Photoshop.

14. When filming the trailer, Iused an HD digital video setting on my digital camera (family camera). I used this to capture film and audio footage on for my trailer and all my images for the ancillary tasks. However, to exploit these the way Iwanted Ihad to use further technology. Once the footage was transferred from the camera to the laptop I transferred them over to Windows Live Movie Maker which was when I could start begin to edit clips together, along with adding my own music that purchased from iTunes.

15. Research and Planning Using YouTube I was able to view as many trailers as I wanted which meant I could get accurate background knowledge for my trailer. I also used Google and Google images to find film posters and magazine front covers to find out the conventions of these ready to use, develop and challenge them when creating my media products. I typed a phrase into Google of a certain image I wanted, for example “a couple embracing”, in order to get an understanding of what sorts of images I wanted. I also used Wikipedia to research into the history of film trailers, posters, and magazines, as well as well known and particular film institutions. To plan and draft different copies of my ancillary products. I used a variety of Microsoft documents to see which was more appropriateand to write down any noted I wanted to keep. JotForm is the first web based WYSIWYG form builder. Its intuitive drag and drop user interface makes form building a incredibly easy and was a breeze to use. Using JotForm, you can create forms, integrate them to your website and receive responses by email. JotForm is developed mainly for webmasters, but anybody with an Internet connection can use it. In my research I used JotForm to gain audience feedback. I used it through facebook by sending a large group message of the form for as many responses as possible. I found this a very easy experience that helped me a lot with my research.