Advanced Portfolio Evaluation

1. Advanced Portfolio Evaluation Elizabeth Donnelly: Candidate number -5056 Centre Number- 71615 Unit Code- G324

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

3. My Media Product • Before I began to create my media product I firstly had to carry out some research, from analysing several different Teaser Trailers, Magazines front covers and film posters, I obtained all the information I needed to design and create professional pieces of work which promote my film and display all the different codes and conventions I have followed and challenged throughout my main ancillary texts.

4. Codes and Conventions I have found while researching media products • Slogan • Genre • Price • Barcode • Caption • Features • Strapline • Lures • Colours • Effects • sound effects, • billing block • film classification • cast names • cover lines.

5. My Teaser Trailer • Before creating the trailer I firstly had to find out what a teaser trailer was. • A teaser trailer is a short version of a movie trailer which is designed to pique the interest of the audience, getting them excited about an upcoming film. Teasers, as they are called, are typically released months in advance, sometimes as much as 18 months before the expected release date of the film, and they are used to build anticipation and curiosity about the films they advertise. Teaser trailers can be seen before feature films in some movie theatres, and they are also released online and shown on television. • Classically, a teaser trailer lasts between half a minute and a minute. It may include footage from the film, often in a rough stage, since the film has not been completed, or it may utilize entirely new source material. In some cases, a teaser trailer is simply an abridged version of a regular movie trailer, including the film's tagline and key footage in a condensed version which is more television-friendly.

6. What are Codes • Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes can be divided into two categories – technical and symbolic: •Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example the camera work in a film. •Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling. Some codes fit both categories – music for example, is both technical and symbolic.

7. What are conventions? • Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. How codes and conventions apply in media studies?Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre. For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense – an integral part of any horror movie.

8. Before constructing my media product I created a questionnaire and distributed it to 30 people within my target audience. • The results showed that my target audience would most like to see a Romance/Horror/Syfy genre • After collecting my results I thought it would be useful to research further into teaser trailers of the same genre to gain an understanding of the codes and conventions within that genre.

9. The conventions that I have used in my teaser trailer include Text shot Green banner Date of release Title shot

10. Other Conventions used • Dark colour scheme • Fast-paced cuts and editing • Suspenseful and eerie music • Website

11. Developing Conventions • My teaser trailer is 1 minute and 9 seconds long; this is the average time for a teaser trailer to last.  The purpose of a teaser trailer is to give the viewer a taste of what the movie will be like, it is important not to give too much of the storyline away as the point of the trailer is to leave the viewer in anticipation and wanting more. Within the next few slides I will compare my teaser trailer shots to a real teaser showing how similar or different they are from each other.

12. Both trailers open with a Close up shot of main character Dark Background. Both play eerie music Vampire diaries trailer Twilight Trailer Both show film title in red text in front of a black dark background.

13. Both trailers last shot presents a facebook website, both text is written in red and behind a back background. Twilight trailer Both trailers open with Green banner

14. CHARACTERS- Lead females Sarah Cullen Clare Donnelly Clare will play the Role of “Casey”, we will also see that Casey has fallen for the brother of Derek “Paul” as this is a story about two young girls falling for two boys that they should never be with she will also portray a sense of fear and passion in her role In my teaser trailer Sarah will be playing the role of “Brooke” an 18 year old high school student who is quite popular she will portray a sense of fear and passion in her role, within the trailer we will be able to sense her fear and love for the boy.

15. CHARACTERS- Lead Males Sam Leonard James Donnelly In my teaser trailer Sam will play the part of “Paul” a 21 year old vampire who as well gains an interest in a small town girl. He will portray a sense of mystery, love and charisma a in his role. In my teaser trailer James will play the part of “Derek” a 19 year old vampire who gains an interest in a small town girl. He will portray a sense of mystery, anger, love and charisma a in his role.

16. Construction • My teaser trailer challenges and develops many of the codes and conventions. • The genres included My film are: Horror, Syfy and romance; as this is what my audience wanted- (discovered via questionnaire). • My trailer is 1 min. 9 sec. • As opposed to other Teaser Trailers such as Twilight , I have not included a voice over or dialogue in my trailer.

17. Movie Posters • Before I began to create my movie Poster, I carried out some research firstly I needed to find out what a Movie poster was, if there where many types and finally I had to analysis 3 different genres of 3 different movie posters.

18. What are Movie Posters • A movie poster is a poster used to advertise a film. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today's posters often feature photographs of the main actors. Prior to the 1990s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on movie posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tag line, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, etc. • Movie posters are displayed inside and on the outside of movie theatres, and elsewhere on the street or in shops. The same images appear in the film exhibitor's press book and may also be used on websites, DVD (and historically VHS) packaging, flyers, advertisements in newspapers and magazines, etc.

19. Teaser poster • A teaser poster or advance poster is an early promotional movie poster, containing a basic image or design without revealing too much information such as the plot, theme, and characters. The purpose is to incite awareness and generate hype for the film. A tagline may be included. There are some instances when teaser posters are issued long in advance before the film goes into production, although they are issued during the film development

20. Character posters • For a film with an ensemble cast there may be a set of character posters, each featuring an individual character from the film. Usually it contains the name of the actor/actress, with or without the name of the character played. It may also include a tagline that reflects the quality of the character.

21. Syfy/Romance From the background we can see that the 3 main characters are standing in a forest, this suggests that there may be many scenes shot there or there is a story behind it. Film title Main Image, from the image we can see that one of the characters has a protective stance around the female main character and he seems to be protecting her from which in the last film was he boyfriend, this leaves us wondering what has went wrong between the couple logos Release date.

22. Horror Tag line “New decade. New rules.” The red text symbolises blood and gore relating to the horror genre. Colour scheme connotes fear and evil. The main image is simply a picture of the masked human who plays the “Scream” Character in the movie, this will draw attention to the poster as everyone will be wondering who is behind the mask Film title logos Release date.

23. The main image is of two of the main characters, from the image we can see the intensity to the characters we can see character is hiding which makes us wonder who is she hiding from. From the background we can see that the two character are standing on a moving sub-way, this tells us that they are running from someone or hiding as we no harry potter is set in a magical world where there would not be this type of transport, this leaves us with the questions or why and where are they going.? Fantasy Film title Tag line “Trust no one.” this tagline gives us the impression that the movie will be very intense it leaves us wondering if the film will be scary and how different it will be from the pervious films logos Release date.

24. Syfy/Romance/Horror My Movie Poster. Tagline Main image Film title Lead actress, actor’s names Background Release date Age rate Film company name Billing Block

25. The title of my movie is placed on the top of the right-hand third, this is to make sure it is clearly visible to the audience, I have used red and white for the title as those are the colours I use in my teaser trailer and it is important that the poster ties in with the trailer. On a normal movie poster the title is most likely found along the top of the page, I chose to challenge that convention and place my title at the top right hand third of my page as I thought this would have a dramatic impact. •  I place the release date at the bottom right hand corner, I did not include a date but simply the year it will be out this is common on movie posters. I kept with my red and white colour scheme as again I want my poster to relate to the trailer. It was important to include the release date as it lets the audience know when to look out for the film. • The background of my poster is very unusual, I have created the background to look like an old peeling wall with splats of blood covering it, and I did this to create an eerie feeling, as my genre is Horror/sfy/romance. I feel like my background is very creative. • My main image is placed at the left hand side of my page, which is not common in movie posters, images are usually placed in the center, and I hope this will make a dramatic impact as it is not the norm. My main image is of one of the main female characters I did not show her whole face as in the trailer the two girls where human and in the poster one of the girls is a vampire, I feel this gives the poster a sense of mystery as people will be wondering which character it is. • I have placed the name of the film company at the bottom left hand corner. Beside this on the bottom center is a website for the film, this is now common on a movie poster as so many people are using the internet.

26. My Billing block is placed at the bottom of my page, the is quite small although it is an important element on the poster I do not feel many people will read it, I felt it better to make the main image, the tag line, film title and the main characters names bigger as these are the most important factors on the poster. • I included the four main characters names as I feel that when someone see’s an actor’s name they know and like it encourages them to go and see the film. • The tagline of my film is placed above the title, this line is also used in my trailer, and I did this as I think it is important to link the two pieces of media texts together. I have kept the font styles the same throughout this poster using only red and white writing which again will link in with my trailer.

27. Movie Magazine

28. Codes and Conventions of Film Magazine Front Covers • Film magazines celebrate and provide information on films both past and present. Those best selling film magazines such as ‘EMPIRE’ focus on populist titles which attracts a wider target audience. Those who read film magazines are largely made up of passionate film fans. Movie magazines are mainly image heavy, with little text, which has been proven to appeal to males more than it does to females. The front cover of any magazine is the main focal point for every reader. They are used to draw in their audiences with the combination of image and sell lines. Some of the main codes and conventions that you expect to see on a film magazine front cover are as follows:

29. Codes and Conventions of Film Magazine Front Covers • Film magazines celebrate and provide information on films both past and present. Those best selling film magazines such as ‘EMPIRE’ focus on populist titles which attracts a wider target audience. Those who read film magazines are largely made up of passionate film fans. Movie magazines are mainly image heavy, with little text, which has been proven to appeal to males more than it does to females. The front cover of any magazine is the main focal point for every reader. They are used to draw in their audiences with the combination of image and sell lines. Some of the main codes and conventions that you expect to see on a film magazine front cover are as follows:

30. The type of shot that is used on the front cover of a film magazine are mainly close up’s. • Like any magazine, they feature a big, bold, eye catching mast head at the top of the page. • Image dominates the page, which is again the case with any magazine front cover that you will see on the shelves. • Film magazines tend to use dark, primary colours because they are simple and bold. • The names of actors, actresses and famous directors are featured on the front to draw in all kinds of different target audiences. • The name of the featured film is always the second largest piece of text, after the mast head, which is on the front cover of the magazine.

31. Graphics and colours are interchangeable, depending on the featured film. For example, if a horror film was being featured on the front covers, the colours would be dark and dull whereas if it was a romantic comedy, colours would change and be brighter and more welcoming. • The few sell lines that are actually featured on the front cover of a film magazine indicate the information that they will be able to find inside. • Only three/ four colours maximum are used on the front cover to maintain the simplicity of the magazine. An example of this convention is exemplified in the below editions of 'EMPIRE'. • Like film posters, props are used to suggest the main genre of the film. • Along the top of the front cover, additional information that could determine that the audience will buy this magazine is featured. E.g. free posters, entry into competitions and so on. • Empire is Britain’s best selling film magazine just above Total Film, Britain’s second best seller.

32. Name of Magazine/ Logo • Slogan of Music Magazine • Image of Music Artist • Seal of Approval • Cover Lines • Bold text as headline • Smaller photos • Bar code • Price • Date • Issue Number • Website name

33. Featured actors name in white-stands out against the dark background Date, issue, no and price Mast Head Strap line Empire’s tagline Website Actors Powerful gaze is aimed at the reader- intimidating The image almost looks 3D reaching out to the reader “World Exclusive” will draw the reader in, impulses them to read on Featured elements on the cover are in larger and bolder font Mid-shot of the actor Background Colours-red/blue/black . the blue and white seem to represent clouds Barcode

34. Strap line- advertising that the reader will be getting something free. The use of capital letters emphasises this point as well as the 2 preview images. Mast Head Image of the 3 main characters of the main film featured is imposed over the title logo, creating a more professional look. This image ties in with the New moon movie poster The Total film” logo glows in the same way was the title of the film featured film “New Moon” Tagline Website, price, date and issue number Featured story with image Main Featured story Barcode Colours used- white and cream/peach these colours stand out against the darker image which gives a more mysterious feel tying in with the film The word “Plus” Makes it sound as if the read is getting more than they are paying for.

35. My Movie Magazine PUFF Strap line Masthead Main Feature story Feature stories Film title Issue Number Date Barcode price Tagline

36. How effective is the combination of your Main Product and Ancillary Texts

37. When designing my magazine I had to take a lot of things into consideration. It was important that I found the best fonts to use take and edit great pictures and find the right layout styles. When analysing my music magazine samples I looked for the following conventions, when making and designing my magazine I tried to include all of these but unfortunately I was not entirely successful, I do however think my magazine still turned out quite professional and if placed with other magazines would still look attractive and eye-catching . • Masthead • corner grabber • price • barcode • slogan • caption • features • columns • by-lines • images • house-style • fonts • strap line • advertising lures • competitions and quizzes • Puff • Website

38. Effectiveness • From my audience feedback I feel that my promotional package was effective. I created not only a poster, magazine cover and teaser trailer, but a Face book profile which allows my audience to write and talk about the upcoming film.

39. Main Product and Ancillary Texts • As my main task was to create a promotional package, It was clear to me from the start that my three products must link so I knew it was important for my ancillary tasks to incorporate the same house-style as my trailer. To create my house style I had to first think of colours that will tie in and represent my chosen Genre. After some thought it was clear to me the red, black and white should be house style colours as red can stand for both blood and love and black and white can represents death. I had to make the images I had chosen dark, eerie and frightening.

40. I have used a sepia tone with all these shots as I am trying to create mystery and uncertainty . I have also used the colour red black and white for my text.

41. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

42. Audience Feedback • My audience were heavily involved throughout all of the research, planning, and construction stages, As I know that Audience feedback is a crucial factor for my work, if my target audience does not like it then the project is a failure. To receive more feedback this year I decided to make a Face book page so as my target audience could give me tips, opinions and advice online at any time. I also created a questionnaire and distributed 30 copies to my target audience I carried out many questionnaires to find out what my target audience would aspect to see in my magazine. • From my questionnaires I gained the information I needed to start creating my media products. I found that my target audience would like me to create a Syfy/horror/romance teaser.

43. Target Audience From this chart I was able to see what type of trailer my target audience would like , you can see from the chart that Horror Romance and Syfy ranked highest this helped me decided the genre of my teaser trailer. From this chart I discovered that 20 out of 30 people were female. By obtaining results from both genders, I was able to see what they expected of my teaser trailer.

44. Face book Face book is one of the most popular social networking sites there is, I decided that creating a Face book group for my Trailer would be a very productive method of advertising as I would be able to reach a wider audience instead of just working within my class, Posting my trailer on face book allowed the members of my media class and also other friends to comment and give their views on the trailer. The next slide will show some of the Feedback I received.

45. Face book Feed back I received this comment in private mail from a girl in my class, I was already aware of these problems but due to weather and cancelled plans with my characters I was held back making my trailer and had to leave out allot of effects that I would have liked to add in, one of these including a voice over, as I barely got my trailer in on time I was unable to make these changes .

46. Youtube I also uploaded my trailer to Youtube to try and gain feed back, this was not successful as all of my target audience had already viewed and commented on my trailer via my facebook group. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLVwtNJ4dVI&context=C31e4764ADOEgsToPDskLB8C2l3yFrPjEM5scLSrK7

47. Pbworks.com I also uploaded my media products to my PBworks Blog, so my fellow class mates and teacher could view them. http://bethdonnelly.pbworks.com/w/page/45495942/FrontPage Here is a print screen of a comment I received about my animoto side show from a student in my class.

48. Technology • I used different technologies throughout the different stages of my coursework the main one being the internet as it allows me too look up countless pieces of media text anytime, I was able to obtain all my information for creating my media products through the web. . • The main media technologies I used for planning, research, construction and evaluation: • PB Works Blog site • YouTube • Animoto Slideshow • iMac: iMovie, • Garageband, • Adobe Photoshop • Microsoft Office • Face book • Internet

49. Most effective Technologies You tube My PBworks

50. Facebook Animoto