A2: Final products

Film Magazine Front Cover

Film Poster

 Film Trailer

A2: Trailer Analysis

After finishing the trailer I received feedback on the video by uploading it on the school youtube channel and showing it to other students. Much of the feedback I received was positive on youtube. However, feedback I received from students who watched my trailer included some suggestions and improvements for it. One of the suggestions I received was to make the trailer shorter including less still image shots as this makes the trailer look unprofessional. I acted upon this advice and removed the majority of still images used in my trailer to make it look realistic and professional.

http://youtu.be/P7oFnFJuml4

I included a variety of shot types to make the link to the psychological thriller genre much more clear.

Like every trailer, the MPAA rating card is a significant aspect to make it look professional and show the audience that it is a rated trailer. 

The distributors to be referenced is also a significant element of a trailer . I made sure to include this at the beginning of the trailer making it look realistic.

The first sequence of my trailer includes still image shots. They appear as flashbacks and gradually increases the tension. The use of more than one flashback links to some of the trailers I had found in my research.

Different angled shots made a huge difference in creating an effect for my trailer. The high angle canted shot allows the audience to see both characters in the frame. We can see the interrogator questioning as well as the girls reactions. 

The shot types also include a close up so we get to see the facial expressions and reactions. A psychological thriller film has many close ups of the protagonists face allowing us to see their reaction.

Like many trailers, I edited one stills that had cations on them explaining to the audience what the film is about or alternatively, increasing the suspense and mystery of the subject that the film revolves around.

Hand held recording was also effective as it gave the shot a shaky effect.

This still shows a mid shot of the girl sitting alone.

The last sequence show the girl walking away from the camera in the same location as the starting of the trailer.

The last sequence also focuses on a still of the protagonist walking away from the camera in a void.  This links to the psychological genre again as it causes mystery and places emphasis on the obscurity surrounding the girl.

Like many trailers, at some point of the trailer the audience sees the release date and credits mentioning the actors, directors and everyone who worked as part of the film. I decided to include this at the end of the film as the release date is what the audience would be waiting to see.

A2: Film Magazine front cover analysis

The film magazine front cover is dedicated to promoting the film. It has a still image of the protagonist on the cover and text that gives readers an insight on what the film is about.

Main Image: The main image is not making direct eye contact with the camera as this is a feature common in many psychological thriller or horror film magazine covers. To support this convention I did not allow the direct eye contact as it increases the mystery.

Masthead: The masthead is one of the most eye catching texts on the page. It is evidently the largest and boldest and promotes the magazine.

Banner: The banner also promotes the film allowing audiences to see exclusive behind the scene images.

Lures: Every magazine includes a lure to help sell the magazine. The lure I used was the banner 'say hello to our big screenplay special' as it pulls the reader in giving them an insight into what the magazine includes persuading them to buy it and read the rest of the article.

Colours: The colours used link to the colours on the films poster and the trailer, creating a synergetic effect and a house style. The reds, blacks and whites not only link to the rest of promotional package but also connote mystery, obscurity and evil linking to the psychological thriller genre.

Sell lines: To sell the magazine, I included a 'preview special' on the cover which includes all the most famous films of the year allowing readers to read exclusive stuff on these films. This is a technique magazines such as 'Empire' use but only on certain magazine issues as it helps increase the sales of the magazine.

A2: Post Production

Post Productions Section 1A

Describe how you developed your skills in post-production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making.

Paragraph 1: Should be an introduction which explains which projects you did. It can be quite short.
Paragraph 2: Should pick up the skill area and perhaps suggest something about your starting point with it- what skills did you have already and how were these illustrated. Use a detailed example.
Paragraph 3: Should talk through your use of that skill in early projects and what you learned and developed through these. Again there should be detailed examples to support all that you say.
Paragraph 4: Should go on to demonstrate how the skill developed in later projects, again backed by detailed examples, and reflecting back on how this represents a move forward for you from your earlier position.
Paragraph 5: Short conclusion

A2: Film Poster Analysis

The film poster I had produced for my ancillary task received a lot of positive feedback from audiences.

Main Image - The main image I chose to use as the background for the film poster was in fact a still shot from the trailer. This supported typical conventions for film posters as it looked appealing and linked to the psychological thriller genre as well as telling the audience a little about what the film is going to be revolved around. The main image also features a shadow of the protagonist, this was done in order to create an effective link with the psychological thriller genre.
I also merged another image using photoshop. The second image was an extreme close up of the protagonists eyes. At first the poster only featured the main image on it, however I figured that a lot of existing posters have an image on the front that make direct eye contact with the reader. This looked effective as it looked more sinister and appealing at the same time.

Ratings - The star ratings at the top of the poster are used as lures to persuade the reader to watch the film. The star ratings are from different magazine tabloids and newspapers make it look more realistic. I also featured one particular review at the top of the poster 'Brilliantly written, terrifically acted... one of her best!' These reviews are included by a lot of mainstream film posters, crediting the film to make it appeal to the audience such as this one:

Title - The title of my film 'Mental State' is positioned on the right hand bottom side of the poster. This is simply because I have created a house style and decided to stick to this as it made the film much more recognizable and creates a synergetic pattern. Even the colours used, red and white link to the house style making the poster stand out from others and immediately allowing the audience to link it to the film.

Colours - The use of reds and whites link to the films theme and house style. I kept synergy in mind whilst constructing the poster to make it look much more professional and realistic. However, I also introduced a new colour - blue to give the audience a glimpse of the film and make it look more pleasing to the eye as it creates a nice contrast with the red, white and black.

Credits and Date of release - It is typical of all film posters to include credits and a date of release. The credits tell the audience who acts in the film as well as giving them details about the producers, directors and other main people who worked in or on the film. The date of release is perhaps one of the most significant aspects of the films promotion. This gives the audience details on when the film will be released and showing in mainstream cinemas so they can go to watch it.

Overall, I was pleased with the final result of my films poster. I had received positive feedback on it and made final changes after receiving suggestions on what I should change from my media class.

A2: Editing

Editing the trailer took more time than expected. I received feedback on what I had already done and this was effective as I was able to make proper changes to the trailer. 
I edited my trailer on imovie using the mac and I soon became used to the software and using the tools on the programme to help me edit the trailer. 

I had already gathered footage and had to work on putting this together effectively to make it look like a professional trailer as part of a promotion package for a real film.

I received suggestions on my trailer on how I should make it look good. Some of the suggestions I received were:

• Include various cuts and increase the pace of the trailer
• Make sure the pace of the music also increases whilst the cuts and editing is increasing
• Use the imovie text and transitions tools to include cuts to a screen with text on it to tell the audience more about what is happening in the trailer making it more effective and clear for them
• Use a mix of both diagetic and non diagetic sounds in your trailer that make the link to the psychological genre much more clear

A2: Filming

I began filming the trailer in sequences, starting with the shortest. I made sure to include a variety of shot types such as a point of view shot, long shot, extreme long shot and a close up as well as a canted angle shot.
I filmed in a non linear chronology and this proved effective as I managed to edit everything together without the trailer looking as though it had been filmed at different times in a non linear order.