Evaluation - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

 Equipment Used:

Canon EOS 500D - This was the main item we used when filming our trailer. It was very high in terms of video and audio quality which made the film more fluid to view. We used the camera in the majority of shots in the trailer, with Dubai, London and the suburbs area being the main areas we used the camera in and this led to these shots being the most professional. The camera was also relatively easy to use in terms of changing lighting or zooming in to add effect onto particular elements of the trailer. This ease of access was integral when we went filming in Dubai and London as we could set it up in a short amount of time to get the required shots.

Tripod - We used the tripod accordingly with the Canon as it allowed us to make the shots a lot less shaky (a problem in our AS production) which made it seem more high budget and professional. The tripod wasn't used when we had to resort to a phone as it was deemed not practical as the phone couldn't be fastened to the tripod.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge - We mainly used the phone when we needed shots in Iceland as the camera we had used in the previous shots was unavailable for when we got out there so we had to make do with what we had. However the footage was still high quality compared to our AS production as the phone was of much better quality overall.

Editing Software:

Cyberlink Power Director - We selected this software as it was easier to access and manipulate the shots we had compared with Adobe Premier Elements 10 which we used for our AS production. The interface of the software allows for clips to be easily cut and merged together to make the scene more professional, which with the control over the audio also makes the film seem higher budget. We learnt the basics around the editing system as a whole which allowed us to cut and edit the footage we had collected together to make the trailer engaging and more free flowing.

Adobe Photoshop - We used this software mainly in the creation of the production credits and the title  sequence as we wanted them to look proper. We learnt how to animate them in the end as we incorporated a fade into the production credits whilst the final title sequence integrated gun shots to add effect into immersing the audience.

Online Sources:

YouTube -  We used YouTube extensively in our production as it allowed us to research relevant trailers at the beginning of our course as to allow us to understand what people would normally see in the action genre. We also acquired tutorials to help us with the editing side of things as it focused on particular elements which we struggled on (incorporation of the narration over the top of the music and sound effects). We were also able to add annotations to our trailer exploring certain aspects which suited the genre and conformed to what was expected. We also uploaded the trailer along with the audience feedback as to allow us to properly reflect on the production.

Blogger - We used Blogger throughout the research and planning stage as it allowed us to acquire sufficient information on our chosen genre and ultimately shaped what we decided to add into our trailer as a whole. This allowed us to be able to easily access relevant information if needed be to ensure we stuck to the conventions in our chosen genre but also allowing us to make it unique in some aspects.

Evaluation - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

How 3 tasks complement each other in advertising film and appeasing to target audience

The poster is very effective at advertising our film as it highlights specific aspects of the trailer which we deemed effective. The title is eye catching to the audience as its bold and stands out against the dark background. The use of characters on the poster also allow the audience to relate more to the characters before the movie is released as the prevalence of Bill's protagonist is obvious as he takes the central role of the poster, highlighting his importance to the plot which would appeal to the audience as they could relate to hi struggles. The antagonist stands directly behind him, giving a sense of contrast to his character as he seems to embody the shadow of the protagonist so emphasises him as the feature antagonist. The female character is positioned on the other side showing that the protagonist may try and protect her from the antagonist, a convention which is expected in the action genre whilst the eyes in the background connote an enigma as if someone's watching. Both allow for greater effect onto how those characters will be involved within the film and allows the audience to be more immersed into the fictional world we're creating. The prevalence of guns is also obvious as we deemed it necessary to highlight the action qualities of the trailer as its conventional to do so. We included specific ratings usually around four or five stars to give it a sense of professionalism and with the accompaniment of the credits connoting previous successes (acclaimed visionaries) enforces the need to watch it to the audience. Overall the poster conforms to the conventions of an action movie poster as it gives prevalence to the characters and the guns they use with the accompaniment of the ratings and the title making it more effective in capturing the audiences attention.

The magazine cover plays along similar lines as the poster. It places the bold titles in the middle bottom of the cover to catch the audiences attention. It also ensures that particular focus ids given to the main characters of the film. The protagonist and antagonist are once again placed to mirror one another to add effect to the battle they will supposedly have in the film. The use of guns indicates the genre straight away as the audience can assume its action qualities through the weapons. We incorporated a strip behind the characters mainly involving shots of London as its our main location in the trailer and so serves to highlight the supposed high budget of the film and makes it seem more professional. The caption "thriller of the year" connotes the importance to view the film to the audience and so directly appeals to them. It is also bold and so engages the audience to a higher degree. We tried to make the magazine cover relatively simple in design much like the poster as we found that too much elements to the cover made the qualities of the film stand out less to the audience. However we did include some advertisements to entice the audience further including mention of the Oscars and other movies of a similar genre to our one. Overall the magazine conforms to conventions usually seen in covers of our genre as it gives prevalence to the bold title of the magazine make whilst also giving prevalence to the characters of ouyr film and the location its set in.

Our trailer conforms to the expectations of an action movie trailer. It engages the audience through it use of gun fights and chase scenes on both foot and in cars. The audience can constantly relate the film to being an action movie because of this and this allows the trailer to appeal to the audience to a greater extent. The character are constantly shown with some sort of weapon to adhere to these stereotypes. The poster and magazine cover highlight the protagonists reliance on a pistol whilst the antagonist is constantly shown with a rifle and this is constantly highlighted throughout the trailer. The use of London is also prevalent in the beginning of the trailer which suits it to the magazine in particular as it features London especially, allowing the audience to relate the two overall. The use of exotic locations is expected in a successful action film and we ensured that this was shown to a degree, through our shots gathered in Iceland and Dubai we made the film appear high budget to the audience and so they would be more likely to see it. The use of the animated title at the end of the trailer adds effect to the trailer and allows the name to be remembered by the audience which accompanies the poster and magazine as they share the bold styling of the titles. 

Evaluation Feedback

Well done Matt, a really analytical approach to task.  Make sure you are clearly referring to choices you made (refer to things like effects and transitions in the editing process, and be specific!) in order to make your response even more thorough.  Upload your annotated final production and voice over and complete the tasks to deadline - Easter Monday!

Evaluation - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

When reviewing the audience feedback we can see that there are some areas we could of improved on within our trailer. We got the feedback from our class group whom provided us relevant feedback after viewing the trailer we created, each of them attempted to focus on one feature within the trailer as to give us a range of feedback on our production. This included camera composition, editing, mise-en-scene and the relevance to the genre to name a few.

The first section we could have improved was the incorporation of some sort of enigma surrounding the antagonist. The antagonist is clearly shown and thus contrasts the protagonist in a number of shots but we were told that it could have been more effective if we kept his identity a secret. This would of allowed us to emphasise the mystery surrounding our character and further the plot shown as the audience would be engaged in the protagonists mission to locate the antagonist. It allows us to assume the importance of characters shown, emphasising the antagonist as an important figure for creating enigmas within the trailer.

The next area which we were told we could of improved was the editing. We were told that the editing pace could of been increased as to fit more with the genre we were highlighting. We were told that the shots in general could of increased in pace as to fit in with the music we chose, it would of allowed us to add greater effect to the shots shown and engages the audience more. We were also advised to include more closeups of the characters as it allows the audience to relate more to them and their story within the plot. It also helps to emphasise the roles the characters would play and who was good or bad in our presentation. There was also the issue of some jump cuts which were present as the shots sometimes weren't faded in properly and this could of been improved to a great extent. This suggests to us that the editing is a section we could improve, whether that be in terms of pace or ordering it entices the audience into watching the film and so is the main feature to get people to see films in general.

Another sequence which we could of improved judging on the feedback was the titles which were present. The titles were apparently too quick at times so you couldn't properly link characters with the actors involved and so the audience could relate more to the characters and the plot of the story as a whole. We were also told that the music albeit effective could of been more tension filled to add to the conventions which you expect to see in the action genre. The music was a major feature of our trailer and so we could see that it may need other features within it to make it more effective to the audience.

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

Frame 1 - The title of the film. The title conforms to the conventions of an action movie trailer as its bold styling and sharp font standout against the black background. The titles were then animated to incorporate the bullet holes at a set time to highlight the action qualities of the film to the audience. We also ensured that the titles were placed at the end of the trailer as we thought that this would be most effective in enticing the audience to watch the film.

Frame 2 - Costumes and props. The costumes and props of our characters are present in the frame. We ensured the protagonist was normally in smart attire, including a suit and the jumper getup shown. We wanted his character to contrast the more casual styling of the antagonist so the audience assume who plays what character straight away. This is conventional in action thrillers as the hero is normally dressed formally as they represent the authority in the film e.g. James Bond films.

Frame 3 - Setting/location. We incorporated many noticeable locations in our trailer including London, Dubai and Iceland. We wanted to make the trailer seem high budget and professional and this is often seen in action films as the exotic locations are normally where the action ensues. London was the main feature in the early stages of the trailer as its recognisable and allows the audience to relate the film to others in the genre.

Frame 4 - Camerawork and editing. The shot selected helps showcase the camerawork as we ensured that both the protagonist and antagonist were given prevalence through the camera angles used. In the shot we used a low angle shot to emphasise the power the antagonist holds in the trailer, something which is often associated in action movies. We also edited the scene with a flash and fade effect as its accompanied with a non-diagetic gun shot sound which adds effect to the scene.

Frame 5 - Title font and style. The font style of our movie is bold and stands out to the audience, it catches their attention and allows us to purvey the actor credits and the mention of previous films to the audience to immerse them more in the trailer. Action movie titles are generally bold as they are made to capture the audiences attention and so influence them to watch the film.

Frame 6 - Story and how the trailer sets it up. The story is mainly setup by the use of a narration. The dialogue is accompanied by a couple of prolonged shots of the protagonist which highlights his role in the film. The voiceover eventually changes into dialogue between the protagonist and his supposed boss in the organisation which you generally see in the action spy movies. The voiceover as dialogue is often seen in action movie trailers as it explains the story to the audience to a greater effect.

Frame 7 - Genre and how the trailer suggests it. The trailer constantly includes shots of our characters with guns, the traditional weapon in often seen in action movies. The protagonist has the pistol which is typical of the hero in spy films as its ease of use and accessibility is unrivaled. The antagonist sports a rifle as he represents a direct contrast to our protagonist and this highlights his power in our film. Action films normally induce scenes with the guns as it adheres to conventions

Frame 8 - How characters are introduced. The characters were generally introduced alongside the actor credits or at the very beginning of our trailer for the main protagonist and antagonist, the characters were highlighted in some shots beforehand as to adhere to the conventions you expect to see in an action film. The characters were generally portrayed within their respective roles e.g. antagonist shooting someone. Action movies are typical in this approach as the characters are introduced during the beginning normally and their roles are expanded on as the trailer continues.

Frame 9 - Special effects. The effects were largely practical and not incorporated in the editing phase, the effects we did induce were largely around the fade between shots and the flash which is integrated along with the gun shots. We did lighten some of the scenes as they were too dark, we wanted to ensure the action was easy to see and effective in immersing the audience. This is generally conventional in action movies as a lot of the effects are placed practically to make it seem more realistic to the audience, with the Fast and the Furious franchise in particular.

AS Reflection - Using Conventions from Real Media Texts

 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In our AS production we adhered to the stereotypes of the action genre mainly though the plot we used. It involved a fight and chase scene being prevalent as expected within the genre whilst the music emphasises tension and adds to the effect of the dynamic shots being used. We also ensured that the lighting was bright as to allow the audience to clearly see what was happening and highlight the enigma around our antagonist and showcase our protagonists from the beginning. 

In what ways have your productions used or developed conventions from real media products?

The AS production brought about significant conventions in the entirety of the opening scene. The chase scene incorporated a wide range of shots which were filmed at a relatively quick pace to add dramatic tension. The dolly shot highlights the two main characters in the chase scene and adds specific emphasis on them. You can typically see this in action movies as the protagonist usually gets prevalence in the shots in a chase scene whilst the main antagonist shares a similar light. Other character in productions are used more sparingly as they are not essential into the plot of the movie. The fight scene also gives such prevalence as the main characters are fighting against the antagonist. In action movies you can generally see a lot of two shots in such fight scenes as the two protagonists’ friendship is often highlighted. The fight scenes are generally important in the development of an action movie and so we ensured that it played a major role in oir AS production.

In what ways have your products challenged or played with conventions?

In some ways our AS production challenged conventions of an action movie. The main area it did this was the use of characters as we included two protagonists to battle one antagonist. You could also suggest that conventions were challenged with the use of a pov shot from the antagonist as you don’t normally see their view but we thought this would be a good way of highlighting to the audience that the main characters were being watched, which could add tension.

Is your work generic or experimental, or both?

Our work was highly experimental as we often changed the plot of the story throughout production as we found some elements difficult to film. We did try and stick to generic conventions but also wanted to place some emphasis on something not conventional to make our film standout. The film did include some stereotypical attributes of an action film such as the chase and fight scene but also includes elements of a thriller film, in terms of the enigmas left behind by for example not explaining the antagonists motives. We weren’t set on one idea for the plot of our film so we tried to incorporate what we liked from each idea into the finished product and so different elements provided different themes to the storyline.

Have you developed a style?

In terms of styling, I don’t think we have developed a particular style. We tended to mould and change ideas depending on what we thought was necessary for our chosen genre. So the styling would likely change dramatically if we were doing a horror film for example. This would include the type of shots, the characters introduced and the main features of the opening scene.

Have you been influenced by the work of specific directors etc?

In terms of directors, if anyone influenced the AS production it would probably be attributed to Christopher Nolan’s opening to the Dark Knight. Its use of enigmas and tension allowed for a very interesting opening scene as we were always kept guessing. In our AS production we wanted to ensure the antagonists identity remain a mystery to the audience as it gives them more incentive to think on his motives for the killing in our opening scene.

How have you developed these skills at A2?

In terms of conventions, our A2 production adheres more to the elements you’d expect to see in an action movie. We did this mainly through the prevalence of guns in our trailer, something which we lacked extensively in the opening scene. The guns helped highlight who was the hero and villain and showcases the action qualities of the film to the audience. We also used more recognisable locations in A2 as with action films, location is a necessity in engaging the audience. The use of a voiceover allowed for the plot to be explored in greater detail and introduces the character and their role with significant ease, something which wasn’t obvious in our AS production. We still followed a highly experimental style of filming as we tend to engage ideas when we’re on set, whilst the styling remained adaptive depending on what we were filming. Action shots were more focused and quicker paced compared to shots in which dialogue was present, which is noticeable in action movies to a great extent.

AS Reflection - Post Production

What have you learned from your audience feedback?
We were told by the audience that the fight scene was integral to the development of the plot but some improvements to the angle of the shots could of been used. This meant that we needed to induce more low or high angle shots into our production to connote power to the audience and highlight the intensity of the fight between the characters. We were also told that the attire of our characters was suitable as it ensured an enigma in what sort of industry the characters are involved in, however we needed to ensure that the main characters are easily distinguished form the supporting characters. The sound was very important to our production as it intensifies along with the shots being shown which helps add the desired effect to our fight scene. We were also told that at times the fight scene became confusing as the characters were confused somewhat on where they were as the cuts between shots made the scene seem disjointed at times. We were told that the tracking shot within our chase scene was also integral in pushing the plot forward as it added effect and prevalence to the characters involved.

What editing decisions were made? How did they inform the production?
The main issue we had with the AS production was the overall time of it. It had to be within a two minute time frame and we found that we had to cut a lot of shots to fit into this bracket. The shots were cut extensively or removed if not deemed necessary and this allowed us to develop our editing skills. In terms of the production, this was essential into making the opening scene more dramatic and quick paced as the editing allowed the shots to be shorter and so add greater effect overall.

What particular editing tools were used and to what effect?
In Adobe we mainly used the cut tool to enhance the production. It allowed us to manipulate the shots to a greater degree as they needed to be quick at parts especially involving the fight scene and so emphasises the characters and their conflict. We also used the fade technique when incorporating our production credits as it made it more fluid to watch. This was accompanied with a zoom at times as to focus on particular features of the opening scene e.g. a specific character.

How did the post-production process enhance the overall production?
We were able to make the opening scene more fluid overall with smoother cuts for the most part. However the chase scene still lacked in points as the shots we had weren't long enough to be flowing. The shots were edited together to enable as much effect as possible with the music, they were edited accordingly depending on the pace of the music which accompanied which emphasised certain aspects of our opening scene.

How have you developed these skills at A2?
In our A2 production we built on our editing skills to a greater extent. We firstly ensured that shots were more prolonged as to prevent the rough cuts we had beforehand. We then used a different editing software. We used Cyberlink Power Director instead of Adobe as it was easier to manipulate the shots to suit the quick pace required in an action movie trailer. It was also easier to access tools such as the audio tools to enable the most efficient outcome in terms of dialogue, non-diagetic sound and the background music.