Evaluation

The coursework for A2 media was to create a promotional package for a new film, including a trailer, a film magazine cover and a poster. Real media products within the same genre influenced these three products.

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms or conventions of real media products?

Before I created my product, I had to carry out secondary research to discover why certain codes and conventions were used; I did this by comparing many horror trailers, poster and magazine covers in order to find any similarities. Common conventions I found looking at horror trailers included dark lighting, loud noises, quick camera movements and point of view antagonist shots. By researching other products, I was able to gain this knowledge that I then could apply to my work.

Looking at horror posters first, I noticed that the majority used dark, grungy colours such as black and dark brown as these are seen as a negative colours and symbolise themes of fear, death, mystery and the unknown which represents the genre well. My product uses a black background, which dominates the majority of the page. This dark background shows that the antagonist, featured on the poster, is dark, evil and possibly is hiding a threatening secret that will encourage the audience to watch the film to find out more.  The title of my film is called “Lucifer”, many horror films name their film after the protagonist or antagonist such as “Dracula”, “Carrie” and “Lovely Molly” as this gives viewers a connection with the characters even before seeing the film, Lucifer is a character within my film, his name is also another word for the “Devil”. The font of the title is ‘Skin&Bones’, looking at the titles of horror posters; there was a range of different font styles used, some were quite simple where as others had a more destroyed look. I went for the destroyed look as I thought it represented horror to a better extent, with the ‘L’ being smeared as this signifies blood, another horror convention. Most horror posters use white or red colours for a title as these stand out on the page; I went with white as it can be seen as lifeless and ghostly. I wanted the title to be the largest text on the page so it is the first text my audience read, it also makes it stand out that extra bit more.

An image on a horror poster should characterise the film and draw the audience towards the poster. After secondary research by analysing horror poster, I found out that many horror posters use the villain for their image as this creates a tense and unsettling atmosphere, which through primary research (questionnaire) shows that it excites audiences. My image is of the antagonists face in greyscale, as this looks eerie and unnerving and also represents that there may be two personalities to the antagonist. The face can only be partly seen as it is hid so that it is only seen though the cross of St. Peter, a symbol that is associated with anti-religious imagery and has been used in films such as “Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Devil inside” and “Paranormal Activity”. As the face is partly hidden, it continues to further hide the identity of the antagonist. There is a silhouette of a child, lingering over the face, which can be seen as ghostly and mysterious which is a successful convention as it makes the viewer want to know who it is.

Nearly all posters have a tagline that is catchy, short and witty, it may also give subtle hints about the film, for example, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ (1978) has the tagline “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth”, this automatically lets the user know the film includes ‘zombies’ and possibly stating the film will include much gore. My tagline is “When the Angel leaves…the Devil arrives” which lets my audience know my film has something to do with the Devil/ supernatural themes. I chose to have my tagline, along with the release date, in red, as it is a common convention for the horror genre as it represents blood, murder and gore.

I have also noticed that posters will include a “From the creators of…” quote on the poster, mostly popular films that audiences are familiar with as they will be more likely to watch the film if they’re a fan of films stated. I used “From the creators of Saw and Insidious” and I found out through primary research (focus group) that my target audience enjoy those two films.

Moving on to my magazine cover, I looked closely at Empire Magazine covers that fall within the horror genre in order to produce a similar product with a comparable layout , to show synergy and allow Empire Magazines audience to feel familiar and comfortable with the magazine. The masthead of Empire is in a bright red which fitted well with my horror theme as red represents death, murder and blood; however I adapted the masthead so that it looks more worn and destroyed. This would be a conventional development as I have altered it to suit my theme of Horror.  The main/ central image on Empires’ Magazine cover is usually a well known character/ celebrity that the audience are familiar with and the image has something to do with the film preview inside, for example, Empires ‘Inception’ preview featured Leonardo Dicaprio on the cover. My main image is of the young boy who goes missing, Lucifer (also the name of my film) as this character plays a big part in the narrative. I kept the school shirt on the boy as this shows realism, which allows the viewers to relate personally to the character. This image was also in greyscale as I feel it portrays the character as ghostly or possessed. I erased the iris and pupil from the characters eyes as it looks as if the character is lifeless or out of control, which creates tension for the viewers.

I have placed several hands around the central image as this takes up some negative space, but the hands also help draw attention towards the main image because of the way they’re pointing. The hands can also be portrayed as if they’re reaching out and trying to grab the boy.

I noticed that Empire Magazine have a plus symbol, placed at the bottom left hand corner, to let the viewer know more about what is featured inside that magazine. I used this convention but adapted it in the same way I did with the masthead, by using a paint tool and spraying the symbol so that it looks worn and damaged. Another way I developed the plus symbol to suit my theme was to change it into ‘St. Peters Cross’ as this links in well with my theme and represents the horror genre well as I think the first thing people will associate with ‘St Peters Cross’ is the devil. Next to the plus symbol are titles of new and exclusive films that Empires audience are likely to be interested in, I used films that popular around the time of my magazines release, these included Skyfall, The Hobbit and The Twilight Saga.

The film that the magazine is trying to promote will have the film’s title on the page; this is most likely to be the second largest text on the page, after the masthead. The title of the film has to be big and bold so that it catches the eyes of the viewer, I placed my title in the centre and chose to colour it white as it stood out well on a dark background. Just above and below the title is a small amount of information that may entice the reader into buying the magazine, I chose to go with “The devil has arrived...” just above the title, and “First look at the scariest film of the decade” just below the title, the words ‘scariest film’ give the film a sense of quality and value.

Not just Empire but many other magazines use puffs/ imperatives to increase their sales, I used one that said “Free Poster!” as many young people, especially teenagers, collect posters and teenagers are a big part of empires audience. Another marketing technique that Empire use on their magazine covers is to show the audience what films are featured inside their magazine, I used an image from the ‘Seven Psychopaths’ film, another popular film out in the cinemas during the time of my magazines release, and stated, “Interview with Colin Farrell inside!”, as Colin Farrell is a well-known actor then many people will be interested in reading the interview and finding more about the film.

Another way I developed Empire Magazine to suit my theme was to change the issue number located at the top left hand corner of the cover. I used the numbers ‘666’ as this is meant to be the ‘number of the Beast’.

Finally I will look at the ways my trailer uses, develops and or challenges forms or conventions of real media trailers. I had to first start by researching many trailers within my genre and comparing them in order to find out the common codes and conventions. The main trailer I looked at was The Strangers, which I analysed for my secondary research. I noticed, from all the horror trailers I looked at, many of the conventions they had in common were loud noises, dark lighting, eerie music and rapid camera movements. These conventions/ codes are there to add tension and create an atmosphere for the audience. I found that the main characters (protagonists) are established early on in the trailer allowing the audience to become familiar with the main characters in the narrative, however the villain (antagonist) is established about two thirds of the way through the trailer, I followed this convention as is holds the tension and mystery of who the antagonist is and what they look like. At the start of every trailer I looked at, Idents are shown to show and advertise the companies involved with the production of the film. I chose Lionsgate as this is associated with films like Saw, a big horror franchise. I also decided to make my own Ident 'Mute'. Towards the end of horror trailers, the pace picks up, shots change faster to fit with the faster and upbeat music and the camera angles are more interesting as this creates a more tense and uneasy environment that the audience expect. About 2/3rds of the way through my trailer, I decided to change the music so that it was faster, I was then able to successfully fit the camera shots to the music, my camera shots also became a lot more jumpy as I felt that this made the trailer more gripping to watch.
Sound plays a huge part in a trailer, especially a horror trailer as sounds such as bangs, crashes, shrieks and footsteps are considered a code/ convention. In my trailer I didn't want to include too many sounds if they weren't needed as it would make my trailer look cheap, 'tacky' and look like I tried to cram too many codes/ conventions into my trailer just because they fit within the genre. Sorts of sounds included in my trailer are both diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sounds include character voice, bang sound made by a falling object and a car driving along the road. Non-diegetic sounds include sound effects such as loud shrieks added for dramatic effect and mood music. I feel both are important and effective however non-diegetic sounds may be considered better suited to the horror theme as they're the ones that audiences notice best.
Most common settings for horror films are an abandoned/ haunted house, dark forests and places with high human activity like shopping centres or schools. Throughout my trailer, you can see settings such as a dark and empty street and a house. These are shown in my trailer as this is primarily where the film is set.
Having a mask on the antagonist is a significant prop in many horror films such as "Scream", "The Strangers" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". They add a sense of mystery and also hide the identity of the killer. My antagonist features a black mask in the shape of a human face, similar to the masks seen in The Strangers. I chose to make it black as black is a code and horror convention, it shows death, evil and mystery. The human like face is to relate to realism and have a connection with the audience.

Have a distinct body language between the protagonist and antagonist is important within a film, the characters personality should be represented well so it is clear to the audience. In my trailer, it can be seen that the female character is frail and vulnerable and that the antagonist is dangerous and controlling, this is shown in one of the shots where the female character is lying down asleep and the antagonist approaches her from behind, this also shows the villain is cunning and has a higher authority.

2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Synergy is extremely important between a main product and its ancillary texts as it shows the connection between the products, making the audience feel familiar and comfortable. Ways in which synergy can be shown between products includes characters, layout, text, colour schemes, sounds, setting and much more.

Ways in which synergy is shown between my main product and ancillary texts are by having the film title placed clearly on all three of the products, this shows the audience that there is a connection between the products. The tagline "When the Angel leaves...the Devil arrives" can be seen on all three products, a tagline should be memorable so whatever product my audience see it on, they should know its for the film 'Lucifer'. Colours also play a big part in my products synergy, the main colours I used where red, black and white. These link well with the horror theme as red can be linked to blood and gore and black can symbolise death, mystery and a sense of the unknown. The use of red, white and black are used in the main product on the title page, and on my ancillary texts, for example, on my magazine cover, the main image/ background is greyscale and the text surrounding the main image is red, as well as the masthead. On the poster, the image is also in grey scale (shows synergy between the magazine) and the tagline and date of release are the only red text on the page which helps them to stand out.
 There is synergy between the characters shown on the three products, the protagonist (little boy) can be seen on the trailer and magazine cover and the antagonist can be seen on the trailer and poster. Many posters do this as a connection with the characters and audience is very important as you want your audience to connect emotionally with the characters as the film becomes a lot more realistic and enjoyable. The image on the poster is a close-up which hides the identity of the antagonist and lets my audience know the that my poster represents a theme of horror.
Another way in which synergy can be seen between the main product and ancillary texts are that on the magazine cover, you can see that the character is wearing a white school shirt, not only does this link to realism but it also is associated with themes of purity and innocence, that is why there is white text on the poster and trailer but the majority of colours are black or red, to mask the fact that in the film, there is possibly themes of possession but without seeing the film, it is not obvious to the audience.
My main chosen institution Lionsgate, can be seen on both the poster and trailer, I chose Lionsgate as it is a well-known institution so it is likely that my audience will know who they are. Not only does this institution help link my poster with my trailer, but helps link my products with other horror films that use Lionsgate such as the Saw franchise, Hostel and The Haunting in Connecticut. Therefore giving my film more publicity.

3) How did you use media technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

I used many media technologies within the four stages, for the research stage, I used technologies such as a computer so that I could search sites like Google for other products within my genre, this also helped inspire me when it came to constructing/ planning my own products. Other sites I searched include YouTube which counted for secondary research whilst I looked a other horror trailers. I used software such as Microsoft Word, so that I could write up my questionnaire which was used for my primary research, I used Word as it is quick and simple to use. I used a camera in order to record an interview with my target audience.
Moving onto the planning stage, Microsoft Word was also used to construct the layouts for my poster and magazine cover as it was more effective than drawing it out as if I decided to make any changes, I could easily adapt the layout.
The construction stage is where I used the majority of media technology, for the creation of my trailer, I used the camera to record, it was not the best quality however it was suitable for A Level coursework. Once I had recorded all my footage, I uploaded it onto the Mac computer and used iMovie to begin creating my trailer, iMovie was easy to use and had no trouble using it. I decided to mute all clips I had taken as there is quite a loud static noise due to the quality of the camera, so I used GarageBand to record voice and pick out any sound effect that I found I needed in my trailer. For the construction of my ident at the start of my trailer, I used Adobe Fireworks and made a GIF image. My magazine cover was made using Adobe Photoshop as this would give my product as professional outcome, however it was quite tricky to use but after a while I got the hang of the software. For my poster, I decided to use Adobe InDesign as I had used it in AS Level and found it easier to use than Photoshop.

4) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

To receive feedback for my main product, it was shown to my media class, this was useful as the age range in my class is between the ages of 17 and 19, falling directly into my target audience.  Each student had to write two positives about my trailer and one thing I could improve (two stars and a wish method). Some good points I received include having a good storyline, interesting camera shots and use of suspense/ tension. Some improvements suggested were brighter lighting and louder dialogue. I didn’t find this type of feedback that effective as the majority of people put the same as what their partner put which showed a lack of opinion, however the feedback I received will help me to improve/ adapt my trailer.

I also received feedback for my trailer from my teacher Mrs Jenkins, she stated that because my actors were laughing at points in my trailer, that this would drag my mark down, she also pointed out that some shots were too long, therefore my audience would begin to lose interest. With this feedback I was able to cut out some of the less important dialogue and also cut down some shots that were longer than they needed to be.

I also received feedback on my ancillary texts, for this instead of asking the class, I asked two individuals, both aged 17 years and my teacher Mr Gibson as this would allow me a more in-depth analysis of my poster and magazine cover. For the poster I was told that my logos under the billing information were a bit fuzzy, however my composition was creative and interesting and my image created an effective ghostly impression. My magazine cover received more criticism as it challenged the conventions of Empire magazines layout, as its colour scheme was greyscale. My teacher also mentioned toning down the eyes so that they look more realistic and not stuck on. On the other hand, they liked how I used the grey scale to illustrate my theme of horror; they also found the hands around the border of the page to be quite haunting. I was happy with my feedback as it showed that I was doing something right and that my target audience enjoyed it, I also found the criticism very important and helpful as it will help me to improve my marks.

Poster

I used Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 to edit the image that I took of the mask from my trailer, I then used Adobe InDesign CS5.5 to create the poster itself.
 

A screen shot of the first stages of production, so far the image (which has been edited into greyscale for a more ghostly effect) has been placed behind the St Peters Cross. It has been placed so that part of the smile and one eye can be seen, this is to keep the identity of the antagonist hidden, it also adds a mysterious vibe. 

This is a screen shot of the product partly through the production stages, the title and other conventional information such as the release date and tag line have been added to the poster. they're in white so that they stand out and are easily seen by the audience.

This is the final look of my Poster:

The final look shows that the image has been adapted to make it lighter, so the features of the face are more prominant. The tag line has also changed colour and placed lower down as I thought this composition took up more negative space. Actors/ Actresses names have also been added and the billing block text has been darkened as I noticed that billing blocks on horror posters have a more grey like colour to them.

My final product will be explained in further detail in my evaluation.

Trailer

My trailer:

My Poster- Planning and Research

I am designing a poster to attract an audience to see my film. A poster is a marketing technique studios use in order to attract an audience.
My poster will or may include the following:

• Title
• Main Actors/ Actresses/ Directors names
• Studios name
• Tagline
• Main Image
• Release date
• Production Info/ Billing Block

I have designed 3 poster layout drafts all with different compositions to explore the possibilities for my poster.

Layout 1

I do like this layout however I feel that having the actors names at the top of the page won't stand out, so the audience will be drawn towards the bottom of the page. I have followed conventions found on well known posters so that I know that this layout is somehow successful at promoting the film.



Layout 2

I am not so keen on having too much information/ text at the top of the page as it draws attention away from the image. If all the interesting information (Title, Tagline) is at the top then I would be worried that the bottom would look a bit boring and the release date may be forgotten.

Layout 3

I like this layout the most as the composition is laid out nicely with not too much attention drawn to one spot. If the release date was placed at the bottom, it would need to be in a bright colour to make sure it can be seen, for example, I would pick red because this stands out whilst also being a convention for my theme of horror. There are pros and cons of having the actors names above the title, a pro is that the well known actors may attract a wider audience but a con is that the names may distract viewers from the title as they're placed close together. I like having the tag line at the top because it could be the first thing my audience read, I would need it to be catchy so that it is memorable.

The title on my poster will need to be the biggest text on the page as it is what I want my audience to see first.

My tagline for my film is "When the Angel leaves...the Devil arrives", this means that when the Angel (little boys "good personality" leaves), there is more space for the Devil ("bad personality") to take over, a bit like a possession.

The font for the billing block will be Steeltongs which is what is used for many film poster billing blocks as it is condensed allowing more space for all text needed in the billing block. My billing block will look similar to this:

MUTE PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH LIONSGATE ENTERTAINMENT AN ARABELLA SMITH-JAMES FILM "LUCIFER"  SAMANTHA FAHY SAMUEL SMITH-JAMES EDITED BY ARABELLA SMITH-JAMES PRODUCED BY ARABELLA SMITH-JAMES WRITTEN BY ARABELLA SMITH-JAMES DIRECTED BY ARABELLA SMITH-JAMES.

My release date is 6.5.13, 6 for the start of the devils number (666), 5 for the number of points on the devils symbol below and 13 because it is known to be an unlucky number.











What will also be included what hasn't been included on the layouts are the website of the film and the icons of all production/ distribution companies involved (which will be placed under the billing block).

Below are three drafts of my final layout using the template of layout 3 which is the layout I have chosen to use.

Layout 1

I am not so keen on this layout as it doesn't have a central focus point that the viewers can focus on, however I do feel the image shows danger, panic and mystery, all conventions of a horror film.

Layout 2


Layout 3

Magazine Cover

I used Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 to create my magazine cover, I used Photoshop because it makes the product look professional and after a while the software became easy to use.

 

First stages of production:

 

This is a screen shot of the first stages of production, so far I had added the photo and used the "quick selection tool", this allowed me to remove the background quickly which is effective. I then added the images of hands I had taken and used the same tool and placing a few hands around the border of the page to look like they're reaching out for the boy. I used the "clone stamp tool" to erase the iris of the eye, this made the character on the cover look "possessed" and lifeless. After all of that I went round the edges of the person and the hands with the eraser to tidy them up.

 

Final stages of production:

 This is the product in its final stages of production, an effect, Conte Crayon, has been added to the image to link to possession as it made the image look ghostly and the black and white brings out the eyes, acting as a focal point. I followed the conventional layout expected on a Empire Magazine cover including the Masthead, imperatives/ puffs etc. To link my cover personally to my theme of horror, I used the eraser to gently rub the edges of the Masthead, Imperative and "cross" to create a distressed and grungy look. 

This is the Final look of the Magazine front cover:

I will explain my final product in more detail in my Evaluation.

Story Board for Trailer

I created a story board to make filming easier. It will make filming easier because I will know what clips are shot when and all the details needed. Therefore making filming my trailer quicker and more organised. Some shots have been changed to improve the "flow" of the trailer and make it easier to understand.

Shot 1- Establishing long shot of the street to show the audience where the action is taking place. Lighting source from the street lamps.
Shot 2-Shot of car appearing from the background. The car will be out of focus. Radio can be heard faintly.
Shot 3- Side mid shot of the side of the car, You can see the first character (Mum) driving and possibly the second character (Little Boy). Radio can be heard more clearly, music starts to tune out.
Shot 4- Close up of car radio. Music tuning in and out so is turned off.

Shot 5- The car runs over something, mid shot of car but so wheels cannot be seen. Shocked expressions on characters faces.
Shot 6-Long shot of car indicating and pulling over to the side.
Shot 7- Shot of mum getting out of the car, you can only see the characters legs as it adds a tense atmosphere because you cannot see the characters face or the environment around the character.
Shot 8- "From the creators of Saw and Insidious".

Shot 9-Shot of character looking under the car to see what she hit.
Shot 10-Shot of character getting up from looking under.
Shot 11-High angle shot of character (mum) looking around after noticing little boy isn't in the car.
Shot 12-"Based on true events".

Shot 13-Close up of mobile phone dialing "999"
Shot 14- "The following phone call was recorded...(Ringing tone heard)" Panning shot of car whilst characters speech is heard calling the police.
Shot 15-Long shot of car, villain is seen for the first time. Villain stands there and turns head towards camera then muffled phone noise is heard.
Shot 16-"9 months later"

Shot 17-Tracking shot of houses.
Shot 18-Tracking shot / medium shot of tree which shows a Missing Poster (Little boy).
Shot 19-Door bell noise is heard as 3rd character (main character) is seen for first time.
Shot 20- Mid shot of hall way "you can have Lucifer's room...".

Shot 21-Mid shot of stairs leading up to Lucifer's room, "it's straight upstairs".
Shot 22-Long shot of girl peering out from blinds, Bang noise is heard.
Shot 23-shot of wardrobe where bang came from. Eye line shot.
Shot 24-closeup of light switch then low angle of girl looking around. Light switches off.

Shot 25- Mid shot of mum and girl eating at table. Girl asks "What happened to Lucifer?" Mum replies "I don't know...".
Shot 26- "One minute he was here..." shot of little boy and mum in car driving.
Shot 27-"The next minute he's gone"  high angle shot of mum calling for Lucifer but her speech isn't heard over voice over.
Shot 28-blank screen while "disappeared is heard.

Shot 29-Low angle shot of girl looking into the attic.
Shot 30- girl asks "Who lived in this house before?", Mum replies "I'm not sure, why?" Close up of content in box.
Shot 31-Girl says "I found this box", Mum says "What's this sign?" Close up of sign.
Shot 32- "search devils symbol" Close up of search engine typing in sign, Search engine won't be Google.

Shot 33- Search results shown from shot of computer screen.
Shot 34-Close up of image of devils symbol "That's it! That's the symbol".
Shot 35- Devil appears from the background when characters are looking at the computer, bang noise is heard.
Shot 36-"When the angel leaves"

Shot 37-Mid shot/ high angle shot of girl on her phone at night, light source from phone shining on her face.
Shot 38-clicking noise is heard from the wardrobe, girl ignores it and lies down.
Shot 39-"The devil arrives"
Shot 40- either she looks back at wardrobe, nothing is there but when she turns back the villain is standing in the corner. 2nd option is the villain appears from the wardrobe. Heartbeat is faintly heard.

Shot 41- "There was something here, something was stood here" mid shot of girl and mum looking at wardrobe.
Shot 42-"we'll set up some video cameras, but I'm telling you nothing's here" close up shot of mum setting of video camera. CCTV effect. Static cut shot possibly.
Shot 43- Changed. Girl walks into bathroom to see devils symbol painted on the mirror.
Shot 44-"When he arrives"

Shot 45-Girl wonders where mother character is, Close up shot of girl. "Where are you?".
Shot 46- shot of kitchen door, extreme close up of door handle as girl twists it.
Shot 47-"Oh my God!" close up of girls face as she covers her mouth with her hands.
Shot 48-"You can't escape" Tense music starts followed by series of quick shots.

Shot 49- Girl tied to chair.
Shot 50- Tracking Shot of girl running through the street.
Shot 51-CCTV footage of bedroom door slamming shut.
Shot 52- Changed.

Shot 53- Shot of girl on the floor crawling with villain with knife following behind.
Shot 54- Close up f girls face and series of flashes from a light.
Shot 55-Title "Lucifer"
Shot 56-Final shot of villains face close up.
Shot 57- Release date and any other information.

My Film Magazine- Planning and Research

There are many film magazines to choose from, the most popular British film magazines are Total Film and Empire. I have decided to go with Empire Magazine because I like the layout of the front cover and I think that the Masthead, which is coloured red, will suit my theme of horror as it relates to blood, death and gore. 3 different Empire Magazine front covers:

Below are three drafts of my magazine front cover, I decided to make three because it shows a range of compositions that I have thought about. All my layouts have to be similar to Empire Magazines as that is the magazine I am choosing to advertise my film and it shows synergy, allowing their audience to feel familiar with the magazine.

Layouts
The layouts below are my rough guides of my ideas for my film magazine front cover. 

1.

This is my favourite layout out of the three because I like the composition of the page and there is no negative space. I may have the central image behind the masthead rather than over it as the magazine is well known and will have a larger target audience than my film. The background of the magazine will be a dark colour to match the theme of horror. I would like the central image to be a mid-shot as this is common among Empire magazines and shows the body language of the character. The film name will be placed clearly over the top of the central image with some small information about the film, for example "You think you know your family...think again", just something to make the audience want to know more and read on. I have included, beside my image, small images and a small amount of information about other popular films that may increase the audience to buy the film along with text at the bottom of the page. I may change the text at the bottom to what things are featured inside the magazine.

2.

I am not so keen on this layout as I don't like the 3 boxes on the left hand side as they look as if they would stand out for the wrong reasons on a horror film magazines cover. I also am not keen on the negative space between the 3 smaller images and the central image. I do however like how there isn't too much information so the viewers can focus on the central image.

3.

I think this layout looks a bit too boring and bland because there's not much interesting text and only one image on the page which may not appeal to a younger audience where images catch their attention over text. This would make the central image stand out more but the magazine may not be seen if it was put up next to competitor magazines because it looks less exciting.

I have decided to go with layout 1 because I feel it is the most attractive out of the three layouts.

Below are three drafts with the same composition as layout one but contain different images and texts.

Layout 1

This is my favourite layout as I think it looks a lot more interesting than the other two and is more innovative in its design. The hands pointing towards the character draw the viewers attention towards the center. I also like how the cross links into my trailer and how it has been adapted.
The layout doesn't look to over done or too plain.

Layout 2

I wasn't sure on this design layout and there isn't a focus point n the image to catch viewers eyes. Everything looks a bit out of place especially the films title as it looks as if it doesn't fit in with the page. The bottom of the page looks pretty empty and the cover lacks some content.












Layout 3

I am not a big fan of this layout because it looks boring as there is not much text surrounding the image and the image itself isn't reasonably eye catching. However i do feel that the image of just the face covered by the villains mask creates a sense of mystery and vulnerability linking to my chosen theme of horror












I have chosen to go with layout 1.
I have recieved feedback from 2 peers on my chosen layout. They talked about what they liked and disliked about my magazine cover draft. (Natasha Bowman and Lauren Melchor)
They said they found the image quite busy and intereseting to looks at, especially the hands that they found to be eye-catching, but they did say they found the hands a bit confusing. They said the magazine cover follows horror conventions like the use of the colour red. They liked how the 666 number on the plus bar linked to my film. They stated that the hands are like an enigma code for the audience wanting to know more. They also said how they thought the composition of the magazine was good and central.

Primary Research- Film Posters (Focus Group)

For my primary research into horror film posters, I carried out a focus group with a total of 5 people both genders and between the ages of 15 and 42. I carried out a focus group as I was able to receive multiple opinions from a wide range of people where answers could be expanded, this is qualitative research about the quality not quantity of responses. I asked the questions below to my focus group in order to gain information on what their opinions are of horror posters and to also inspire me when it comes to designing my own film poster.

The answers received for Question 1 were that the majority of the group found the poster 'Shutter' more appealing as it was very creative and the image supported the plot well, leaving the audience wanting to know more. However a couple of people found 'The Happening' poster to be the most appealing as it looked less gory and more realistic.

Question 2 I found out that people would like the title and release date on the poster so they know what the film is called and when it will be released. Some people also stated they would like to see the certificate and actors so they know if they will be old enough to watch it and who will be starring in it to see if there are any familiar actors they like that may persuade them to watch the film. A certificate of age isn't a common convention of a horror poster so it is unlikely that I will include this on my poster, as one of the aims is to follow conventions of page designs.

Question 3 asks where people most see film posters advertised, the main answer I got back was in magazines/ film magazines. I also got back answers such as the cinema, online and the bus stop. Posters are advertised where people are most likely to see them, this is a major role in marketing the film. If I was to advertise my film in poster form, I would definitely use the cinema as numerous people visit the cinema everyday so thousands of people across the country will be aware of my film. I am not so sure about magazines but rather prefer online advertising as the online age is growing, people are using the internet on an everyday basis so there's plenty of opportunity to advertise my film.

For Question 4 I asked what people preferred the central image to be, the answers I received were the setting, the villain, the victim or the weapon. I will consider this when designing my poster as I now know what people prefer. I will probably use a mixture of about 2 features to compromise, for example the setting and the villain or the villain and the victim.

The most popular answer received for Question 5 was the colour red as it represents blood, death and danger, which were the conventions people thought were important in the horror genre. Other answers I received were dark colours as it gives off a eerie and unsafe environment, blood and weapons as some people felt they were a big convention/ code on a horror poster. 

Question 6 I found out that 2 people thought 'Shutter' was associated with the horror theme the most because of its dark colours and ghostly face however 3 people said that they felt 'Saw' was associated with horror the most because the head represents gore and made them feel more uncomfortable than the other posters. It is unlikely that i will use gore in my trailer so I would need to make sure my poster reflects the plot of my film.

Question 7 I received all yes answers to posters attracting them to watch the film, people said that they felt the poster was a teaser of the film, if the poster was good it would make me want to see the film rather than if the poster was bad. Another answer was that if the poster had an actor/ actress which appealed to me, it would make me want to see the film more.

For Question 8 and 9 I asked people to place the 3 bottom posters in order of which makes them want to watch the film the most and why. I found out that the most popular poster was 'One missed call' because of its creative but simple image, the second most popular was 'Insidious' because the dark and dingy background has a creepy vibe and the boy made the poster look innocent even though they knew the film wasn't. Finally the least popular poster was '30 days of night' as it looked the most amateur poster out of them all and technologically out of date. It's unlikely my poster will be to a professional standard because I have never created a film poster before and don't have much knowledge on the software or have access to hi-tech equipment but from this feedback I can create a poster that will appeal to my target audience.

Problems with the focus group was that not everyone understood media terminology so meaning my answers may not be as detailed as I would have liked. Another problem with being in a group was that people could rely on other peoples answers to form their opinions meaning I wouldn't get a wide range of ideas to base my poster ideas on. 

Overall I think the feedback I received will help me when I design my film poster as I now know what my target audience expect and like from other horror posters out. I would say a focus group is the most effective and reliable way of getting information from my target audience as you have the possibility of getting multiple detailed answers.

My Trailer- Planning and Research

These are the aspects I need to consider for my trailer:

Actors
These are my actors:
Samantha Fahy- Mother

Samuel Smith-James- Villain/ missing boy and friends son

The reason I chose these two was because they're reliable and it is easy to get hold of them both at the same time as they live in the same household. I chose Samuel because he matches the description  of my character (missing boy) well and is around the same age of the character. The reason I chose Samantha because she is Samuels mother so is able to play the mother role well.

Mise en scene
Mise en scene is everything in a frame and its arrangement, such as decor, lighting, props and costume. The word comes from the french term meaning "Placing on stage".

• Setting

The setting in a film is very important, it sets the whole mood for the scene.
These are the settings I will be using throughout my trailer:

House

A house in a horror film is a well known convention, many horror films use houses in secluded areas as it symbolizes that the people inside the house are alone and far away from any help. This is the house I will be using, it isn't in the middle of nowhere but the house itself is very good for filming in and the environment around the house is dark and creepy especially at night.

Street

This street was used for the majority of the outside filming, I chose this street because of the lighting which was interesting but more importantly I chose the street because it was secluded which plays an important role horror films, as it creates a vulnerable vibe.

• Lighting

There are two types of key lighting, low key lighting and high key lighting. low-key lighting is often used in horror movies which is the type of lighting I will be using. Low key lighting is made up of a lighting pattern that uses both dark and light lighting in a frame which is call chiaroscuro, used to unsettle and frighten the audience. 
This is an example of low key lighting used in the horror film "Friday the 13th".

High key lighting is often used in romantic comedies and musicals consisting of even lighting throughout the frame, avoiding dark areas. High key lighting avoids shadow so everything looks bright, this has little dramatic effect and is used in scenes with no tension.
This is an example of high key lighting used in the American drama "Written on the Wind".

For my lighting, I will be using street lamps, household lamps and natural lighting. Most of my lighting will be low-key lighting as it is a horror film, because of the quality of the equipment I am using it is quite hard to make out the characters faces during the night scenes so I will have to take that into consideration.

• Costume 

Costume is simply the clothing that the characters are wearing, the costume is important to a film as it is used to signify/ make a clear distinction between characters.
My Main character, the mother, will be wearing casual clothing such as jeans and hoodies, along with the boy in the film.

The villain will also be wearing casual clothing, inspired by the film "The Strangers", to relate to realism and connect with the audience. The main piece of costume my villain will be wearing is their signature mask, this hides the identity of the villain adding mystery and a sense of the unknown.

• Props

Props are objects used by actors on stage to support the plot.
Props I have included in my trailer includes a newspaper that was found in the missing boys room. Another prop is the missing poster as it tells the audience that someone in the film is missing, supporting the storyline.

Script
A script or screen play is the dialogue or instructions for a film.
This is the script that will be included in my trailer.

Music
I have noticed that music in horror trailers starts of slow but builds up when the action starts to happen. The music matches the volume of terror to add tension and an atmosphere for the audience.
The music I have decided to go with at the start of the trailer will be calm and slow, this is a horror convention. As the tension in my trailer builds up I would like there to be minimal or no music so there can be chance for dialogue, the silence will also emphasise the difference when the loud and upbeat music comes in. When I add in the tense music, it should create atmosphere and make the trailer more thrilling.