For Unit G324 Advanced Portfolio in Media I decided to choose brief no. 2 which states; Produce a promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with a film magazine front cover, featuring the film and a poster for the film. My decision for picking this brief was mainly in June 2009 I produced with two other fellow Media Studies students a horror teaser trailer, which I found an enjoyable experience and gained interest into the making of trailers. Therefore this gave me confidence and knowledge into the creation of producing a teaser trailer for my A2 Media Studies coursework. To give me extra support and help in producing the trailer I decided to pair up with another Media Studies student as I found it particularly useful in the Summer of 2009, which would perhaps bring qualities such as sharing the filming and editing involved in the production. After finalising my chosen brief I recorded it in my skills development booklet (see blogger 10/03/10), the main purpose of the booklet being that it has helped me contain organisation in the processes building up to the final production pieces.
Before creating the teaser trailer better known as the Pre-production stage, I needed to research into the conventions, history and other aspects behind a film trailer, to give me a clear perspective and understanding. Firstly I wanted to expand my knowledge into the history of film trailers and how they have improved in elements such as technology and how they have expanded into everyday use. The website www.wikipedia.com provided me with a deep insight into how film trailers have evolved over nearly 100 years, from a simple short promotional film produced in 1913 to highly technical produced trailers contained with voice-overs, production logos and other conventional aspects involved in a film trailer. LIIAR (Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation) helped me create a clear image about the individual aspects implicated in a film trailer for example the target audience is an extremely important characteristic in the making of a film trailer, without knowing your target audience you can not plan and successfully produce your film trailer. It has also given me and an understanding into the five key areas into which are essential concepts that underpin every media text. As I already had an interest in horror films and had produced a teaser trailer specifically to this genre in June 2009 it had inspired me into using this genre for my final production piece, therefore in order to discover the denotations and conventions of horror film trailers I analysed three existing horror teaser trailers (see 22/10/09 and 04/11/09 on blogger). I chose to analyse three existing texts as by doing this it has provided me with a variety of ideas to which I could possibly apply to my final production piece. The major conventions entailed in trailers which I recognised are; voiceovers (particularly in a very deep and creepy manner) to provide the audience with a narrative device in the form of a non-diegetic sound, close-ups of significant images and characters to project to the audience that these objects/characters are important in the film, fast paced editing and montages to reflect the danger of the situation, non-diegetic music frequently used at the beginning of the trailer to mirror the genre and possibly the tone of the trailer, the title of the film is placed at the end of the trailer this adds an element of suspense and provides the audience left feeling a sense of ambiguity, important phrases and quotations are used throughout the trailer to break up the vast amount of shots and generate a build up of tension for the audience, the trailer always ends in a cliff-hanger this being one of the most central aspects involved in the trailer as the producer has to be very careful into not giving away too much of the synopsis and at the same time build up suspense and an atmospheric feeling. In order to discover a greater depth of knowledge into the generic conventions of Horror I researched in detail giving me a range of information and background into how horror films have developed and transformed over more than 100 years ranging from gothic style to modern day emphasis on torture and suffering.
By researching into trailers, genre and conventions it has given me a considerate amount of awareness towards the different styles involved in horror trailers and the self-belief to produce my own product.
When planning for my horror trailer I firstly created a questionnaire to discover and collect quantitative data about whether the horror genre was popular with young adults as this was going to be my target audience. I created 20 questionnaires asking the participants to state their sex, age and favourite genre. The results displayed that horror genre is particularly popular with the age range 17-24, therefore this supported my plan and supplied me with the go-ahead.
A key importance of my planning was the creation of the synopsis, as I had produced a stalker based trailer in June 2009 it had already given me an idea as to what the plot would be based around. After discussing with my fellow working partner we came up with a suitable synopsis involving 6 characters, which would in brief be about a creepy stalker who would one by one kill or attack a character. Each character would have a specific purpose in the trailer, such as featuring stereotypes such as ‘the dumb blonde’ and ‘the geeky friend’.
In order to reflect my understanding into the roles of each character (see 01/12/09) I formed a cast list to project each characters function in the trailer. Aswel as producing a cast list I also produced a script, location and prop list solely demonstrating the creativity involved in the making of the trailer and the decisions which are necessary in the production. The script provided me with organisation so when it came to filming each individual character would be aware of their purpose, and the filming would be quicker and easier (blogger 01/12/09 and 31/01/10). To also keep me structured and prepared I completed a shooting schedule and script therefore my partner and myself would know what, where and when we were shooting and it would provide the characters with an insight into what they were needed and required to do. However due to circumstances such as Winter weather (heavy snow) and the difficulty of gathering all 6 characters together at the same time we decided to adjust the synopsis, script, cast list and other requirements which were compulsory in the planning processes of the horror teaser trailer. We did begin filming the original synopsis (two of the shots are featured in the test shots) however, the framing and diegetic sound recorded were not suitable to use in the final production.
As we had changed the synopsis to include just one character in the trailer I decided to step in as I would match one of the stereotypical characters being ‘the blonde’ possibly reflecting naivety and perhaps innocence, by stepping in this would build the planning for the filming easier as I would know exactly what was essential to do providing organisation to the group. As I am currently at the age of 17 this would definitely reflect and appeal to the target audience of young adults, by taking into consideration the mise-en-scene such as the clothes I would be wearing it was decided that I would be featured in everyday ‘normal’ clothes reflecting the realism in society today.
Horror Trailer
In order to discover and apply the conventions required for my final media product I gathered and researched into the conventions of horror trailers, by analysing existing and contemporary horror trailers. It has given me an understanding into what is expected and required to produce a successful horror trailer.
‘The Hunted’ (main trailer) opens with the production logo which I created myself to reflect originality, I decided to use the logo name ‘Tower Productions’ as this mirrors the genre of the film, this can also be said about the castle image used in the logo. My reasons for featuring the production logo at the beginning is because I have witnessed that this is what many successful trailers seem to use, by applying this to my own trailer it reflects an element of professionalism.
The introducing of the non-diegetic music appears (A Nightmare On Elm Street- Main Themes) midway through the projection of the production logo, however as many of the trailers in which I have analysed feature positive upbeat music at the beginning I decided to challenge this form of convention and add my own unique twist by just featuring just the one track throughout the trailer, immediately signifying the generic conventions required for a horror trailer. In order to again reflect creativity I have featured several shots in black and white (an example being at the beginning of trailer, establishing shot), many of the horror trailers in which I have analysed such as the Blair Witch Project do not feature black and white shots, therefore this is applying originality and the connotations could perhaps be viewed as being ambiguous creepy. A convention which I noticed in all trailers is the introducing of the main characters, by featuring the main character at the beginning of the trailer it immediately establishes to the audience that the trailer/film will be based around them. In order for the audience to recognise that this is possibly a 'deadly shortcut', I deliberately featured a mid-shot of the main character from both the front and behind. This again establishes the main character instantly to the audience.
The mise-en-scene also helps interpret what the film is going to entail, by including the main character to be clutching folders and a large bag this tells the audience that the main character (Ellie) is possibly a college student. In order to reflect the equilibrium I featured myself doing ‘ordinary and everyday’ teenage activities such as the use of computers(which can be seen as a connotation of the use of technology in everyday lives) and drinking alcohol created in the mise-en-scene which instantly shows to the audience the on-going issue in society today. As the lighting involved in the shots plays a huge part interpreting the mood and feeling, I took this into consideration. At the beginning of the trailer the lighting involved in the computer scene and bedroom scene is very light this can be viewed as a connotation of the positive feeling which will contrast with the shots and narrative featured later on in the trailer. I introduced the mirror prop so that the audience can view the main character from both behind and in front, it also creates the over the shoulder shot to be more interesting and allows the audience to view the bedroom and actions from a different perspective. The mirror prop can also be viewed as a popular and contemporary prop used in horror films, I got this creative idea from the 'mirrors' trailer as the synopsis is based around this single prop.
A major convention which is required is the narration of the trailer which could possibly be seen as essential as the audience want to recognize the synopsis given teasing aspects of the narrative. Therefore to stick with the convention I produced a voice over to insert an element of mystery and creepiness to play alongside with the non-diegetic background music, in order to meet with this convention I edited the voice-over to become deeper matching its stereotypical outlook being deep, American and mysterious. To also reflect the genre at the same time I added important pieces of text which featured in the colours red and black and in a chilling font which can be seen as a connotation of the horror genre. When analysing existing texts I came to realise (particularly in Sorority Row see blogger 04/11/09) that the text featured was in a neutral colour often white perhaps keeping the audience inquisitive about the film, however I consciously made the decision to feature the text in a gothic style font as I wanted my horror trailer to reflect my creativity. At the end of the trailer when the title of the film 'The Hunted' appears I wanted a font which immediately can be seen as a connotation of horror, therefore I decided to upload the font 'SF Gushing Meadow' (onto the program Adobe Premier 1.5) which I had used for both of my ancillary texts when displaying the title of the film. I thought that this added an aspect of originality to the narration of the trailer.
The use of analysing contemporary texts has really helped me recognise that the narrative needs to be explained in a subtle manner throughout the trailer, during important parts of the trailer I introduced the voice-over(which I adjusted to make it appear deep and stereotypical) and phrases of text which would work well with the specific shots. To again add to the narration of the plot throughout the trailer I featured diegetic sounds for example myself (main character) speaking important parts which I think works well alongside with the voice-over, an example would be the point of view shot in the forest "oh it doesn't matter mum, I thought I heard something". This specific phrase signifies a sense of irony, and the connotations of this can reflect the naivety in the stereotype of 'the blonde'.
In many trailers and films associated with stalkers they use point of view shots to generate the effect that they are being watched/watching someone, for that reason I applied this to several shots featured in my final production therefore establishing directly that the ‘The Hunted’ is based around a stalker and their victim.
I think that I have successfully used and developed the conventions required to create a horror trailer and have to some extent adjusted certain conventions such as featuring specific shots in the trailer in black and white, to create an ambiguous feeling. Another feature would be perhaps using just one track throughout the trailer, signifying instantly the generic conventions.
Ancillary Texts
For my ancillary texts I decided to produce a film poster and a magazine front page, my reasons for picking these two texts was because for my AS Media Studies coursework I had to produce a magazine front cover in which I really enjoyed creating as I feel it projected my creative eye.
To help me achieve an understanding into film posters and magazine front pages based on the horror genre I decided to analyse three existing texts, most of which taken from horror films (see blogger 21/02/10 and 24/02/10).
Ancillary text 1. Front page magazine
For my front cover magazine I had to undergo many of the same planning procedures involved when creating my final trailer production. The planning procedures involved when producing my magazine front page involved analysing existing texts (magazine front pages), by analysing existing texts I discovered the main conventions required to produce a magazine which appears professional and successful.
To begin with the creation of the magazine I took several photographs at a local woodland area, as this is the main location featured in the trailer. Therefore, would fit the generic conventions well. As I wanted a variety of images to choose from I took pictures in different poses and different areas throughout the location. In order to pick the best images I took a number of photographs as when creating a music magazine for my Foundation Portfolio I discovered that by having lots of images to decide from gave me a wide range to pick and choose which ones best suited the magazine. I was very pleased with many of the images in which I took, however for my magazine front page I decided to go with an image of myself peering in between two large branches of a tree. My reasons for choosing this image is because I think that it establishes the genre of the trailer and will also help the audience perhaps understand the synopsis of the trailer. To make the image appear mysterious and spooky I altered the colouring by using the 'focal black and white' tool, to do this I used a program called Picasa which I found very useful and easy to use.
When finalising my chosen image I then moved onto the type of font in which I was going to use for the masthead (ACT!ON). I used the website http://www.dafont.com/ as I have used this website before and found there are a wide variety of choices and the fonts are created in categories therefore easier to locate. After experimenting with different font types I decided to use the font 'Birth Of A Hero' my reasons for choosing this font were because it appears modern and up to date therefore possibly reflecting the film magazine. In all of the magazine front pages which I have analysed I discovered that parts of the masthead often were hidden behind the main image, possibly reflecting to the audience that the main image (being the main film article included in the magazine) is perhaps the major focus of the magazine. As a result of this I decided to apply this idea/convention to my final product. When producing my magazine front page last year for my Foundation Portfolio I did not use the program Photoshop as I found there were many limitations to the program such as the different versions which are installed around the college system and the disadvantage of not being able to get on with the work at home without having the program installed. However, as I was determined to produce and involve this effect on my product I learnt how to use the program. By using the tool palette on the left hand side of the page I used the laser magnetic tool to rub out the parts of the writing in which I wanted hidden behind the image, I found this a very easy process and it is a skill in which I may use in the future.
By featuring the masthead in a bright, vibrant colour it could be seen as grabbing the readers attention and could perhaps be said as a connotation of importance of the magazine and no doubt be associated with the energetic feeling in which is projected throughout the colour. The colour ‘red’ could be said as being a convention of the colours featured in the masthead, as a result of this I decided to apply this to my front cover.
In order to use and keep in line with conventions of front page magazines I created and applied screamers, an example being ‘The Hunted free giveaway poster’ the purpose of Screamers being that they draw the reader into purchasing the magazine as they are offering a personal reason as to why the reader should buy and read the magazine. I again featured the screamer in front of a red circle background as stated it catches the attention of the reader. The heading of the front page magazine being ‘The Hunted’ is one of the most important parts of my magazine front page, I recognized this through the use of analysing existing magazine front pages. The new, upcoming film is the main focus and article involved therefore has to be noticeable to the reader. Therefore to relate to other magazine front pages and use the required convention I applied the heading ‘The Hunted’ in the font type SF Gushing Meadow (www.dafont.com) which I chose as it appears as if blood is dripping from each individual letter immediately symbolising the genre in which the trailer is using. The colour scheme used in the heading uses both red and black, both colours which are connected with the genre of horror. Keeping with the horror genre I wanted to add a physical symbol which could perhaps construct the page to be furthermore interesting, I added an image of a skull which is almost used as a bullet point next to the piece of text about the film.
In order to make the ‘Exclusiveness’ emerge realistic I decided to add the images in which I hadn’t used for my magazine front page and poster, again by using the program Picasa I developed the images so that they looked like they were stuck on by post it notes or cut outs an effect in which many magazines use often when they are speaking about behind the scenes access.
An important aspect of a magazine is the price and barcode, not only does it state the cost and date but also injects a characteristic of professionalism. ‘Kickers’ are a piece of terminology used to describe the pieces of information which reveal a slight amount of information about the main article or other articles. An example of a Kicker which I have used is ‘Exclusive’ this is a popular word often used on magazine front pages, the effect of this being it could possibly make the reader feel privileged and gaining an extra element if purchasing the magazine. The word ‘Exclusive’ could perhaps mirror the content of the magazine being first for films, DVDs and other film related substances. The phrase ‘Do not go alone’ could perhaps be viewed as being a pull quote as in ‘The Hunted’ trailer it features a text shot stating ‘Dare you go alone?’ therefore the image of viewing ‘The Hunted’ alone could almost be seen as a large issue as the film is so frightening. The effect of using pull quotes is simply that it attracts the audiences attention. On my front page the inclusion of a Standfirst (being the sentence featured after the headline) gives the reader an insight about the main article which will be incorporated in the magazine. As I didn’t want the Standfirst to be too long which would perhaps draw the awareness away from the main images and headlines, I decided to involve short and eye-catching words which would capture the reader and also reflect the main article.
Overall I firmly believe that the magazine front page which I created works very well with my final production being ‘The Hunted’ trailer as it reveals and works alongside the conventions which are essential in the making of a magazine front cover, it also certainly mirrors the genre of the film and creates it as the main focus of the page.
Ancillary text 2. Film Poster
For my second ancillary text I decided to choose to construct a film poster. My reasons for choosing to produce a film poster were because in my AS Media Studies coursework I had previously produced a front page magazine, contents page and double page spread. Therefore this had given me the self-assurance and experience to produce a film poster. As I had already got a brief idea as to what the main images were going to be (see blogger 04/03/10 for poster drafts) I had a clear idea as to what I wished for my poster to come across like. Firstly my poster required an image as the background as I wanted the image to be the main focus of the poster, in many of the existing texts in which I had studied I discovered that this was a convention often used. However, I wanted to use and apply this convention to the poster therefore set out to find an appropriate and suitable image to create an atmospheric feeling involved in the poster. I used the same location used for collecting the photographs for the front page (A local woodland area). As stated in my analysis for the front page I took many pictures so that I had a wide variety of choice when it came to choosing the image which would be the most suitable. As I wanted a distinctive picture which would reflect the genre and generate a sense of ambiguity and terror. When choosing my chosen image I again used the program Picasa to access an effect known as ‘black and white focal’ were the main area of the image is featured in black and white however using the mouse you can choose and apply a selected area in which you want it to be in colour. For my chosen image I selected the facial area to be featured in colour, consequently being the main focus of the poster. The image in which I chose is myself featured behind a tree, on the other hand it appears as if I have just turned around in shock and panic! In the background of the image you can view the eerie looking wood which is the main location involved in the horror trailer. This was the outcome I wanted to achieve as it could perhaps project the narrative structure involved in the trailer being that the main character is being stalked throughout Cropsville Forest.
The heading of the poster being ‘The Hunted’ is featured in the same type font used in the trailer and the magazine front page, this is so that the font can be recognisable and linked with ‘The Hunted’. As the image is featured in filtered black and white I found it difficult to find an appropriate colour to use as it was a challenge to use ‘stereotypical’ horror colours (black, red, grey, white) with out it blending into the background. However, by inserting boarders around the text it made it easier and therefore stood out subtly.
The analysis of existing horror posters really helped me in finding out techniques to create the poster in looking professional whilst at the same time reflecting its genre (see blogger 24/02/10). By researching and adding a list of the individuals involved in the creation of a music trailer onto the bottom, of the poster I found that straight away it appeared to look like a professional poster. Many existing posters apply a short phrase which is perhaps featured in the film itself (a pull quote) the main purpose being that it creates a component which almost acts like a narrative device to help the audience understand what the trailer is going to be about. An example which I have used and included ‘Do you ever get the feeling you’re being watched?’ this creates a chilling mood and tells the audience that the film is about a follower.
At the very bottom of the poster the use of applying a website builds and projects a sense of realism, this can also be seen as possibly a convention of a poster as all three posters in which I have analysed have all featured this. To again replicate realism I have additionally applied logos of technological devices used in the making of the trailer such as ‘Dolby Digital’. Another prime example of a logo used in horror films and included on horror posters is the ‘Restricted’ logo, the sole purpose being that you have to be over a certain age to view this film.
Referring back to the question I strongly consider that the two ancillary texts in which I have produced work well with the genre of the trailer, not only reflecting that it is horror but also by keeping in tact with the narrative structure and projecting a clear view about what the trailer is about.
During the planning stages of my production pieces (see blogger 15/11/09) I created a questionnaire to research into which age range preferred the watching horror films. I got the participants to state their gender, age and favourite film genre. The results showed that from the ages 17-24 preferred watching horror films, which supported my hypothesis that young adults prefer the horror genre. This was the first aspect and part of my audience research.
However, I wanted to discover what peoples thoughts and opinions were about my final product and whether it matched the required codes and conventions essential for a successful film trailer.
I began by creating a questionnaire on Microsoft word, I thought up key questions which would help me find out what the audience liked/didn't like about the trailer and what could be improved. In total I created nine questions which included questions which would help me collate feedback, the questions written involve closed and open ended questions therefore collecting a variety of data.
I choose to produce 15 questionnaires and aimed to ask a wide variety of people therefore so the results would not be bias.
The first question begins with a fixed choice question stating a yes and no answer as to whether the participants enjoyed viewing the trailer, all 15 answered had circled yes. Therefore it was positive feedback for question one.
Question 2 read 'Did the trailer reflect the horror genre?' in which all 15 participants answered yes to the closed question, this was one of the main aspects in which I wanted to achieve in the making of the trailer as the genre is vital so that the audience can recognise immediately as to what the trailer will be about.
In order to discover opinions about the trailer I produced an open ended question simply asking about the amount of shots used and whether there should have been more included, the feedback was mixed reviews. Many stated that I included the right number of shots however, several said that towards the end of the trailer it could have been useful to include several fast paced shots to simply reflect the panic of the situation and create a more mysterious ending.
As the music is a vital convention involved in a trailer I conducted another open ended question asking whether the non-diegetic music and sound effects worked well with the genre of the trailer, the participants all agreed that the music fit well with the horror genre however one person said that I could have possibly used an upbeat soundtrack at the beginning of the trailer to show the positive feeling at the beginning.
Question 5 - 'Does the trailer project an understanding about the synopsis of the trailer? If not explain as to why you think this' As the main purposes of film trailers are to advertise and project a sneaky preview of the film whilst briefly telling the audience about the plot of the film I created a question asking whether this had been created in 'The Hunted'. The date which was collected answered that this was done well, however some people stated that I could have used perhaps another location to make the trailer more interesting. Another participant said that the synopsis was strong however could have been made better with the use of more characters, possibly a group of friends.
As most of the shots in the trailer had been manipulated I created an open ended question asking about the effect of the black and white shots which are featured in the trailer. There were mixed reviews to this question, however most stated that they liked this effect and some participants said it was an original idea to do this as many trailers do not often feature black and white shots.
Question 7 was one of the most important questions in the survey as it asked the participants what they would alter in the trailer and why they would do this. When gathering the results I discovered that the main aspect in which the participants would alter was the lack of characters involved in the trailer, however I was aware of this and as stated at the beginning of the blogger I wanted to include several characters (a group of friends) to feature in the plot of the synopsis. A participant also wrote that I could have perhaps featured the stalker in some shots possibly in a black cloak and a mask, on the other hand this had crossed my mind to perhaps do this however I wanted the stalker to create an am,biguous element and therefore this would attract the audience into viewing the film to find out who the mysterious follower was. Most of the participants stated that they would have used another location possibly a grave yard so that the trailer would appear even more interesting and exciting!
Question 8 displays a fixed choice question enquiring as to whether the stalker was represented well by the use of point of view camera shots, all participants answered yes to this question. This is viewed as being positive feedback as the narrative revolves around the stalker, therefore this has to be created well by the use of the point of view shots.
For the final question I decided to create a question solely asking the participant as to what they would rate the trailer out of ten, I produced a rating scale ranging from 1 to 10 therefore giving a wide variety for the participant's opinion. When collating the feedback for this question 7 people gave 'The Hunted' trailer a no. 8, 4 people gave the trailer a 7, 2 participants gave a 9 and finally 2 gave the trailer a 6.
As a result of using audience feedback I have fount it very useful and interesting to discover as to what individuals have thought about my final production piece. Overall the data collected was positive and most of the qualitative data (written answers) received I had already thought about throughout or after the making of the trailer, an example being the number of characters featured in the trailer.
Before beginning my production pieces I realised I had to undergo planning to understand the various conventions, as the blogger was introduced to me last year I had a wider awareness into the use of the blogger. I feel that blogger has it advantages and disadvantages, an advantage being that it's easy to use and access and it doesn't require constantly having to use the printer. A disadvantage would perhaps be that it can be seen as slightly time consuming by having to scan work (For example drafts of magazine front covers see blogger 01/03/10) up onto the blogger itself and the possibility that other fellow students can view each others work. However overall I prefer using the blogger as computers and the internet are involved in my everyday life and it is easily accessible.
In order to discover conventions, analyse existing texts and upload work onto the blogger I have used the internet which has been a huge part of the process leading up to the final production. The website http://www.wikipedia.com/ has been a huge advantage as it has given me the insight into learning about the required conventions which are vital for a successful film trailer. The website Wikipedia helped me realize about the different processes in which the horror genre has developed into, varying from gothic horror to modern day torture and suffering.
When beginning the filming of the trailer I used the video camera recorder Canon MD205 some advantages of using this camera corder being that it is handheld, really portable and recorded on Mini DV which therefore means that is it Digital so can be converted in digital files being produced into many copies however still being good quality footage. I found that because it was portable it was easy to locate and travel around to the locations in which we were required to go too. As when we first shot out footage we did not think it was suitable for our final trailer as the framing was not up to scratch, therefore with using a digital camera corder it allows you to re-film footage. However, a disadvantage of using the Canon Md205 is that it is difficult to zoom when filming as it appears shaky because it is a one chip camera. When uploading the footage onto the editing suites I used a digital fire wire allowing to plug the camera corder straight onto the computer, an advantage being that you can copy and copy it with it staying the same and not losing the quality of it. In order to alter the length of the clips and transform the appearance I used the program Premier Dolby on the edit suite which provided me to; alter the sound of the voice-over, cut the clips, slow down and speed up the lengths of the certain clips, change the colour scheme of the clips, add texts and fonts, add sound effects and non-diegetic music and many other technical aspects involved in the production of my horror film trailer.
In the process of producing my ancillary texts I choose to used the a camera phone known as the Samsung Tocca Ultra edition, as it has an 8 megapixel camera therefore producing good quality pictures. I used this camera for both my magazine front page and my horror film poster.
One of the main and most important technological aspects I have used in the production of my final pieces is the programmes used to create these important effects such as reflecting the genre of the film. To develop and construct both of my ancillary texts I used the program Picasa which is well known for its organising and editing of digital images, as I had this program installed onto my laptop it was very simple and easy to use. For both of the photographs used in the two ancillary texts I altered the colour scheme; the magazine front page so that it was made darker, and the film poster so that it was filtered black and white however keeping a slight amount of the facial area being in colour. Nevertheless I needed to use a slightly more professional program which allowed me to erase certain areas of the images, therefore I used the program Photoshop cs3 which allowed me to erase part of the masthead 'ACT!ON' and place the image of the main character in front of part of the masthead, a convention which I had noticed on all three of the existing texts in which I had analysed. To do this I went into the tool palette on the left hand side of the page and chose the laser magnificer tool which allowed me to erase certain areas of the image in the different layers, considering I had never used the program Photoshop I found it slightly challenging at first however do-able and achievable to use. In order to scale and move objects and smaller images around the page I used the crop tool which is also found in the tool palette, this made it possible to rotate and scale objects and images around the page.
Generally by using these modern technological programs it has made it possibly for myself to produce well constructed production pieces for my A2 coursework.
On the whole I have learnt numerous aspects throughout the making of my horror trailer such as the knowledge into how to use the edit suite, I feel confident into how to use the program such as applying dissolves and speeding/slowing clips down. Another element in which I have learnt is the program Photoshop, as I had not used the program for my foundation Portfolio I feel that is one of the major features which I have progressed thoroughly in.
However, the main piece of knowledge in which I will take away and perhaps be able to recognise in the future is that working in a group is an extremely difficult challenge. As I was in a group with another fellow media student I felt as if my chances of creating a successful trailer had been burdened as I appeared to the only organised individual in the group and the only individual interested in getting on with the work and recognising the importance of the coursework. Though this was very difficult for me not having a great deal of help with the producing of the trailer I feel that I have put in 100% effort into the production of the trailer and the other aspects involved in the advanced portfolio production. Therefore, I can take this away with me for future perspectives.
