A2 Media Evaluation

My A2 Media Evaluation. on Prezi

Questionnaire.

Please take time in filling out my questionnaire. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dEk5emJkUDliLWtXaFl5dU0zVm55dUE6MQ#gid=0

The Outsider - A2 Media Coursework.

The Outsider Movie Trailer.

Which Idents I Have Used For My Trailer.

There are two movie idents that I have chosen are Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. I have chosen these two as the idents for my trailer as they are both paired together. Just using the twisted pictures ident would not be enough as it is not very long whereas the Lionsgate ident is quite long. I feel like the two idents paired together get you ready for the trailer as they are both horror/mysterious idents.

 Lionsgate Ident.

Twisted Pictures Ident.

Movie Magazine Front Cover

Final Movie Poster.

Soundtrack.

For my movie trailer I used 2 sound effects that were already on the Apple i Macs as I thought they were in keeping with the genre of the movie trailer. At the start of my trailer the mood starts of with the music being scary and mysterious like the scenes within the first half of the trailer. As it gets further into the trailer I then changed it to the second of the sound effects that are on the i Mac as the second one is a bit more up beat but still 'scary'. As the scenes start getting a bit more faster and the things going on in the scenes are faster for example running; I though it would be better if we had another sound track that started of creepy then got faster and got the audience a lot more intrigued in the trailer.

Shot Lists.

Pitch Script.

Chapter sheets for takes (photos of clapperboard style sheets with details of what was wrong in each take).

Running Order of Shots/Scenes. Exact shots to be used. ( Post editing)

Daily Planning Sheets.

Storyboards.

These are the storyboards for our trailer, they are in as much detail as possible. They show the a drawing of what is in the scene, the length of the scene. It also shows the shot number, type of shot and the camera movement and what dialogue and sound is in that clip.

Risk Assessment Forms.

These are the risk assessment forms which convey what the risks and hazards were when filming our trailer.

Venue and Contributers Release Forms.

These are the contributers release forms for the 3 characters that were in my trailer for my A2 coursework.

Poster Mock Up.

This is my magazine front cover mock up. I have used an image for the whole of the page and I have inserted small picture in the bottom right of a scary eye to give the poster more than just one large picture that fills the whole page. The name of the film is the main focus of the poster as it has to be something that people remember if you want them to come and see your film. Posters for films also have quotes from newspapers or magazines that praise the film or the producers and editors. The actors names are at the top of the poster in small writing as a poster always has to say which of the main actors are actually in the film. 

Magazine Front Cover Mock Up.

This is a mock up of the film magazine front cover that I am going to make on Photoshop to promote my film trailer. I have used a masthead at the top as that is were they are always placed on magazines and newspapers. The date and a bar-code are always on every magazine so that is why I have included them on my mock up. I have also included pugs and, taglines and an image in the mock up, as a magazine front cover needs them to draw attention to that specific cover.

Venue/Location Lists - To include photographs

We filmed our trailer in multiple places within the same woods in Lydiate. In the woods there were peacocks which made the sound a lot better because there was background noise, the noises of the peacocks also made it quite scary. Also in the woods there was parts of houses from hundreds of years ago which also made it scary and created more atmosphere within the film. There were signs saying 'Danger, falling part of houses'; this also added the fear of danger into the trailer.

Prop Lists - Requirements for each shoot.

I needed certain props for the trailer to make it seem more realistic and professional :-

• A 3 man to tent to make it evident that the group would be camping.
• 2 camping chairs as you would not go camping without chairs as there would be nowhere to sit.
• A lighter to light the campfire to make it seem more like they were camping.
• A knife for the murder of Melissa.
• Fake blood for the killer to wipe off the knife.
• Black gloves.

Costume List - Requirements for each shoot.

Melissa Heague (Stacey) - She wore clothes that a teenager would normally wear to go camping. Leggings, black jacket and black hunter wellies. This is in-keeping with the horror genre as she is not wearing any bright colours.

Philip Wade (Mark) - Phil wore clothes that again a teenager would normally wear to go camping. He wore Nike tracksuit bottoms and a black adiddas hooded top that would keep you warm while camping. Again they are dull colours in-keeping with the horror genre.

George Hart (Jack) - George wore jeans and a hooded top, and blue trainers; again what a teenage boy would wear if they were to be going camping in the cold weather.

John Appleby (Killer) - John wore black clothes so he would not be seen. He always wore black gloves so no finger prints would be left to trace.

Actors List - Who is being used ( Reasons for your choices if possible)

For my film trailer 'The Outsider', I needed to choose actors who would portray a good 'airy' atmosphere within the trailer. They also need to be able to act in a substantial manner to make the trailer look like a professional one. They also have to have the look and wear the right clothes that portray the correct look in the genre of the film.

Stacey is played by Melissa Heague aged 17. I chose Melissa to be the only girl in the trailer as I think she portrays a very good 'damsel in distress' as in the trailer it shows her screaming, hurt and on the floor as the trailer portrays that it could of been her blood which was on the knife that the killer who you don't see was wiping off. 

Mark is played by Philip Wade aged 18. He is both Melissa's and Jacks friend in the film. I chose Phil because in any film you always have to have a 'damsel in distress' which is Melissa and i believe that Phil would portray a good 'hero' and would save her from any trouble she would come in contact with.

Jack is played by George Hart aged 17. I chose George to be in the trailer as I feel like he would create a good atmosphere in the parts in the trailer where there is nothing bad going on as he has a good sense of humour and is very spontaneous which would make the trailer a lot better and more successful. 

Research the Marketing campaign for a movie of the same genre as you have selected for your own product.

The marketing campaign that I am going to focus on is Saw 7. It is the same genre that I have made my movie trailer in.

Saw VII Trailer.

4 Saw VII Posters.

Saw VII Website.

All SAW VII Questioned Answered.

Saw Ride in Thorpe Park

Uses and Gratification Theory - Blumler and Katz

5 reasons why people may engage with the media

1) Escape from reality (film)

2) Relate to others/characters (soap)

3) Entertainment (drama/comedy)

4) Informed and educated (news/documentary)

5) Socialise with others (Facebook/popular series)

Blumler and Katz

Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.

The theorists say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

Blumler seems to envision a marriage between cultural studies and the Uses and Gratifications approach, but he is not clear on what terms. Instead of asking "What are your reasons for watching this programme?." Blumler would ask "What about it do you find true to life?" or "What picture of the world does it seem to convey?" (Blumler, 1979).

Judith Butlers Queer Theory

GENDER VS SEX


Gender + Sex= normal
Nature Vs Nuture

Judith Butler is Professor of Comparative Literature and Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, and is well known as a theorist of power, gender, sexuality and identity.

Butler argues that if a gender act is performed and witnessed often enough it becomes the norm. "The notion that there might a "truth" of sex, as Foucault ironically terms it, is produced precisely through the regulatory practices that generate coherent identities through the matrix of coherent gender norms. The heterosexualization of desire requires and institutes the production of discrete and asymmetrical oppositions between "feminine" and "masculine," where these are understood as expressive attributes of "male" and "female."

the call for gender trouble has obvious media implications, since the mass media is the primary means for alternative images to be disseminated. The media is therefore the site upon which this semiotic war (a war of symbols, of how things are represented) would take place.

There are certain perceptions for certain sexuality's, a good example is the children's cartoon programme of Scooby Doo and the conventions of image that the characters give off.

Fred. Velma. Scooby. Shaggy. Daphne.

1) As you can see with Fred, he has been dressed to appear macho and his posture looks like he is strong and masculine. He looks like he is meant to represent the 'typical' heterosexual figure. His clothing looks stylish with a scarf and the colour blue is normally meant to represent male. 
2) Shaggy compared to Fred looks like he doesn't really care about his style and the way he is percieved. His stance also looks like he's not masucline and doesn't represent a 'typical' macho male figure.
3) Velma has short hair and looks like a tomboy, even though she is wearing a skirt, her characters doesn't give off a feminine personality. Her appearance is very different to Daphne's who gives off a typical feminine persona.
4) Daphne is wearing purple which is a colour normally aimed at females. Her pose looks like shes quite self-obsessed compared to Velma. Her long hair is also another typical factor of a feminine female as to which Velma is the opposite of.

Vladimir Propp theory

1. 8 character roles, spheres or action. (Character and action being inseparable)
2. 31 functions, always highly predictable such as villain being punished at end of story
3. The characters normally consist of a villain, heroine, sidekick, doner, princess, father (rewards the hero), the dispatcher who sends the hero on their way, the false hero (usually good looking and a false coward)

Characters

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. Her father
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

Propp’s theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment (due to his theory actually reflecting early folk tales) and as such critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than the gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man.

Critics argue that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way the text is received.

Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests and we should feel free to identify them. E.g. the stooge in a sci-fi film, who is usually nameless and usually killed early on to suggest the power of the alien force, is a typical modern character type.

Claude Levi-Strauss Theory

Claude Levi-Strauss argued that meaning in narratives is based upon binary oppositions (conflicts). He was less interested in the arrangement (syntagmatic)  of the narrative (order) and more in the deeper meaning (paradigmatic) of the themes.

Binary oppositions 

Man VS Woman

Good VS Evil

Earth VS Space

Science VS Nature

Roland Barthes Theory

Narrative works with 5 codes:

1. The action or proairetic
2. The enigma or hermeneutic
3. The semic
4. The symbolic
5. The cultural or referential

The enigma code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses as to know how the narrative will finish, therefore providing pleasure for the audience.

The Hermeneutic code

Part of the story that's not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. A detective story is a narrative that operates by the hermeneutic code. A criminal act is shown and the remained of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event. 

In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealed until the end and some devices are used to conceal it-

1. The snare: A deliberate avoidance of the truth- A tease or an implication that sends the audience down a wrong path.
2. Partial answers: Revealing some of the final truths- This is actually used to create suspense.
3. Equivocation: A mixture of truth or snare- Usually further muddying the water.
4. Jamming: Suggesting that the problem may be unsolvable.

Proairetic Code

The proairetic code- actions that imply further action/reaction. E.g. a character has an argument and the readers wonder what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense/ tension as the audience wonder what the outcome will be and make guesses.

Detailed Analysis of Batman:The Dark Knight Total Film Magazine Cover.

Total Film Magazine Front Cover

Detailed analysis of Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows magazine front cover.

Harry Potter Magazine FrontCover

Detailed analysis of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie trailer.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The first trailer that I have chosen to analyse is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. The use of edits and sounds within the trailer has made it very effective and builds great suspense in the trailer which makes it evident what the film is going to be like. The start of the trailer with the usual Warner Brothers (harry potter style) ident. The way it has been edited makes it evident that it is for the Harry Potter trailer. There is no dialogue until 40 seconds into the trailer. The first person you see is Voldermort who says 'Harry Potter, the boy who lived'; there is no dialogue once he says this, although after he says it the music starts to appear starting low then going higher. The music then stops after Voldermort says 'come to die' which makes a dramatic effect as Harry closes his eyes in fear just as he says this and when the music stops. After this the trailer consists of short 1 or 2 second clips while dramatic music is playing in the background, using people that have been in all of the films and also people who have not been in the films. Through out the trailer they use the transition of 'fade to black' whether it be a short transition or a a long one they use it confidently. They also use words within the trailer saying 'THE FINALE OF THE WORLD PHENOMENON' this creates effect as it draws attention to the fact that it is the last movie so will definitely be the best. It also says 'the motion picture of this generation' which will make people who have not watched it before as it must be good if  it is 'the' motion picture of this generation. The music stops and shows a side shot of Voldermort holding Harry from the face which will create great suspense for the audience. Voldermort says "why do you live?" then Harry says "because I have something worth living for". The music starts again and shows short clips of other parts of the film again. Within the small clips there is a shot of Voldermort holding his wand up to the sky then it fades to black for not even a second and it is Dumbledore in the same stance, this creates a dramatic effect as constant viewers of Harry Potter will realise they are both the greatest wizards. The music suddenly stops again and you can see a duel between Harry and Voldermort, the sound of the sparks between the wands is very loud which also makes it more dramatic to the audience. Also as this is happening Voldermort says "only I can live forever". The trailer then finishes and shows the Harry Potter logo which is darker than any of the other films. 

Detailed analysis of The Uninvited film poster.

The Uninvited

Detailed analysis of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film poster.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Codes and Conventions of Movie Trailers

The codes and conventions for film trailers are:

- Edits/Montage

- Music

- Voice-over

- Dialogue

- Captions

- Non-linear

- Restricted narration

- Exposition

- Production company

- Realease date

- Title

- Reviews

- Use of stars

Most of these codes/conventions are included in movie trailers, they are the basic things that you will see in a

movie trailer. If you look at most films trailers you will see these things in them.

Genre/Genre

- trailer - has a genre of it's own

- the film is already going to have a genre

Film Trailer Terminology

Definiton

Trailers consist of a series of selected shots from the film being advertised. Since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film, these excerpts are usually drawn from the most exciting, funny, or otherwise noteworthy parts of the film but in abbreviated form and usually without producing spoilers. For this purpose the scenes are not necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film. A trailer has to achieve that in less than two and a half minutes, the maximum length allowed by theaters. Each studio or distributor is allowed to exceed this time limit once a year, if they feel it is necessary for a particular film.

Some trailers use "special shoot" footage, One of the most famous "special shoot" trailers is that used for the 1960s thriller Psycho, which featured director Alfred Hitchcock giving viewers a guided tour of the Bates Motel, eventually arriving at the infamous shower. At this point, the soft-spoken Hitchcock suddenly throws the shower curtain back to reveal Vera Miles with a blood-curdling scream.

The people who create trailers often begin their work while the movie is still being shot. Since the edited movie does not exist at this point, the trailer editors work from rushes or dailies. The trailer may be created at agencies such as;

• The Cimarron Group
• MOJO
• The Ant Farm
• Aspect Ratio
• Trailer Park

while the movie itself is being cut together at the studio.

Terminology

• Plot summary
  Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of "signature music" (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). This last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the movie.
• Voice-over
  Voice-over narration is used to briefly set up the premise of the movie and provide explanation when necessary ("In a world..."). Since the trailer is a highly condensed format, voice-over is a useful tool to enhance the audience's understanding of the plot.
  
  
• Music

         Music helps set the tone and mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not  from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). The music used in the trailer may be:

• Music from the score of other movies
• Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognisability.
• "Library" music previously composed specifically to be used in advertising by an independent composer.
• Specially composed music.
• Songs, which may include knock-offs of recognizable (but expensive to license) songs.

• Cast, crew, and studio information
• A cast run is a list of the stars that appear in the movie. If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a BILLING BLOCK, which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie.
• Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the Production Company and distributor of the film.

• 
  

  Technical elements

  • Sound mix: many movie trailers are presented in Dolby Digital or any other multichannel sound mix. Scenes including sound effects and music that are enhanced by stereophonic sound are therefore the focus point of many modern trailers.
  • Video resolution: movie trailers preceding feature films are generally presented in the same format as the feature, being in general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 1080p.

History of trailers research

'Lilo & Stitch' was brought out in 2002

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002. The 42nd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, it was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and features the voices of Sanders,Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Lilo & Stitch was the second of three Disney animated features produced primarily at the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida studio located at Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Lilo & Stitch was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which ultimately went to Hayao Miyazaki's film, Spirited Away, which was also distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

A direct-to-video sequel, Stitch! The Movie, was released on August 26, 2003. This was followed by a television series, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which ran from September 20, 2003 to July 29, 2006. A second direct-to-video sequel, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, was released on August 30, 2005. A third and final direct-to-video sequel, Leroy & Stitch, was released on June 27, 2006 as the conclusion to the TV series.

'Tangled' was brought out in 2010

Tangled is a 2010 American computer animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is the 50th animated featurein the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The film features the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy and is loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" by the Brothers Grimm.

The film was originally titled and marketed as Rapunzel until it was changed to Tangled shortly before its release. It premiered in theatres and in 3D cinemas on November 24, 2010, after six years of production and a cost that has been estimated at $260 million which, if accurate, would make it the most expensive animated film ever made and second most expensive movie of all time.

'Toy Story' was brought out in 1995.

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. It was written by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, and featured music by Randy Newman. Its executive producer was Steve Jobs. Toy Storyfollows a group of toys who pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present, and focuses on Woody, a pullstring Cowboy doll (Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (Allen).

The top-grossing film on its opening weekend,Toy Story went on to earn over $191 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release and took in more than $361 million worldwide. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising both the technical innovation of the animation and the wit and sophistication of the screenplay,and it is now widely considered, by many critics, to be one of the greatest and most revolutionary films in the history of animation.

In addition to DVD and Blu-ray releases, Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys, video games, theme park attractions, spin-offs, and merchandise. View-Master released a three-reel set in 3D in 1995, prior to release of 3D films. The film was so successful it prompted two sequels; Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Both sequels were instant hits and garnered critical acclaim similar to the first; Toy Story 3 is, to date, the highest-grossing film in Pixar's canon. Leading up to the third film's premiere, as part of its promotion, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were also re-released as a double feature in Disney Digital 3-D on October 2, 2009. The film was selected into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2005, its first year of eligibility.

A2 Coursework

For my A2 coursework I will be researching promotional packages of a film. I will also need to complete planning for a trailer in its entirety; the trailer itself must consist of 2 minutes worth of original footage in a genre of my choice. I will need to produce a film poster and a film magazine front cover, all of these need to be linked in some way to show a synergy of product. My trailer will be viewed by an audience so i therefore need it to be of a high quality and consider the selection of mise-en-scene, actor, sound, props and most importantly editing.

The purpose of the 3 different various ways of marketing.

During the production and marketing of a film the marketing team produce film trailers, film magazine front covers and posters.

Film Trailers.
Film trailers are a very easy way of marketing a film through using short, edited scenes from the film being advertised. A trailers purpose within marketing the film is to show the audience what the film is about without giving too much away within it and spoiling the film for the audience. Usually any film that is made, the marketing team create a film trailer; but in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1 they decided two make a lot more than just one trailer as they felt they had a bigger target audience than most films and wanted to entice them more.

Click here to see Harry Potter 7 Part 2 trailer


Film Magazine Front Covers.
Film magazines are not as popular as other magazines are, for example celebrity and gossip magazine. They have to take special care into making the front cover as appealing to the audience as it can. When a big film for example HPATDHP1 came out, a lot of film magazines completely centered around that film making it the main content within the magazine to again entice the readers and buy the magazine. The purpose of magazine front covers is to try and sell the film just by the front cover of the magazine, which will make people buy it and read about it and then eventually go and see the film.

Film Posters

The purpose of film posters is to advertise an upcoming film. Posters are a great way of advertising an upcoming coming films through designing as many different posters as they wish and can also be put up anywhere they want and can also be sold to big fans of the films themselves. When big films are being advertised they often use life size posters within the cinemas and make things pop out of them to give them a 3D effect. The name of the film, the release date of the film, the well know actors and actresses in the film are on the poster. All the information is given with an image relating to the film in the background, usually containing an image of the well known actors/actresses.