Blogged by Group
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Tuesday 5 April 2011
Evaluation Question 2
Blogged by Group
How effective is the combination of you main product and ancillary texts?
How effective is the combination of you main product and ancillary texts?
Evaluation Question 1
Blogged by Group
This presentation is best viewed full screen on slideshare as the font is quite small if viewed as it is.
This presentation is best viewed full screen on slideshare as the font is quite small if viewed as it is.
Monday 4 April 2011
Final Magazine Cover
Blogged by Group
This is the final draft of our poster:
We are really pleased with our final result and we feel that it looks very similar to a professional magazine.
This is the final draft of our poster:
We are really pleased with our final result and we feel that it looks very similar to a professional magazine.
Monday 28 March 2011
Magazine Front Cover: Final Draft
Blogged by Group
The next step towards completing our magazine cover was to add further taglines. Because we are creating a 'Horror Season Special' we decided it was appropriate to include a 'Top 50 Horror Movies of all time' tagline, implying that the issue will cover horror from both past and present. We also copied the date, UK price and US price and the positioning that is uniform in each Empire magazine that we researched:
Another tagline we added was 'What will get your blood curdling this year?' followed by a series of thumbnail shots of upcoming films. We added a couple of still shots from actual upcoming films for authenticity but added a few images we had taken when filming earlier in the year, for example the tractor in the woods we were filming in and an abandoned wood saw:
Looking again at the 'Kick-Ass' edition we wanted a similar 'layout' for our main tagline, with the title of our film being a part of a sentence:
We came up with our own version of this, using 'you' to directly address the audience. The sentence in itself can also act as a device to interest the reader and make them want to see the film - because the magazine itself is giving the film a strongly positive review, then the audience will be much more interested than if it received a neutral review.
We maintained a red, white and black theme throughout as not only do these colours work together to symbolise horror but they are also easy to read against the dark background of the image.
We also kept to a minimal number of fonts for simplicity, using basic, easy to read fonts such as Arial Black and Century Gothic.
After adding everything we needed to to our magazine cover we then experimented with layout again, changing the size, colour and positioning of text to improve our cover and make it appear authentic.
The next step towards completing our magazine cover was to add further taglines. Because we are creating a 'Horror Season Special' we decided it was appropriate to include a 'Top 50 Horror Movies of all time' tagline, implying that the issue will cover horror from both past and present. We also copied the date, UK price and US price and the positioning that is uniform in each Empire magazine that we researched:
Another tagline we added was 'What will get your blood curdling this year?' followed by a series of thumbnail shots of upcoming films. We added a couple of still shots from actual upcoming films for authenticity but added a few images we had taken when filming earlier in the year, for example the tractor in the woods we were filming in and an abandoned wood saw:
Looking again at the 'Kick-Ass' edition we wanted a similar 'layout' for our main tagline, with the title of our film being a part of a sentence:
We came up with our own version of this, using 'you' to directly address the audience. The sentence in itself can also act as a device to interest the reader and make them want to see the film - because the magazine itself is giving the film a strongly positive review, then the audience will be much more interested than if it received a neutral review.
We maintained a red, white and black theme throughout as not only do these colours work together to symbolise horror but they are also easy to read against the dark background of the image.
We also kept to a minimal number of fonts for simplicity, using basic, easy to read fonts such as Arial Black and Century Gothic.
After adding everything we needed to to our magazine cover we then experimented with layout again, changing the size, colour and positioning of text to improve our cover and make it appear authentic.
Monday 21 March 2011
Magazine Front Cover: 2nd Draft
Blogged by Group
Our plan today is to complete our magazine front cover. Now that we've looked at our first draft (from last week's lesson) with fresh eyes, we've decided that we need to make some changes.
We began by using a combination of Photoshop and inDesign to cut around the character to place on top of the masthead via a new layer. We also approached it from another angle, using the magnetic lasso tool on Photoshop to cut away part of the text. We went on to print a couple of variations at different stages of the process to see if the effect was authentic.
The next step was to alter the main tagline. We changed the angle and darkened the colour slightly, in a similar fashion to the Kick-Ass edition we looked at previously. We kept the outline to black so it stood out against the dark background and began to add in extra information such as the date and price.
We then experimented with various fonts to convey horror, as we decided to create a 'Horror Season Special' issue. We downloaded a variety of typical horror fonts from dafont.com. After using each font for the 'Horror Season Special' tagline we went with 'Double Feature', a clique horror font that takes the harshness away from the rest of the cover. It also immediately conveys the theme of horror as it is a stereotypical horror font.
Taking inspiration again from the Kick-Ass issue we then created a 'splatter' shape out of a standard circle and a number of full stops and commas written in the horror fonts we had downloaded. This acted as a visual text box which also linked strongly to our horror theme.
At the end of the lesson, this was our development:
Our plan today is to complete our magazine front cover. Now that we've looked at our first draft (from last week's lesson) with fresh eyes, we've decided that we need to make some changes.
We began by using a combination of Photoshop and inDesign to cut around the character to place on top of the masthead via a new layer. We also approached it from another angle, using the magnetic lasso tool on Photoshop to cut away part of the text. We went on to print a couple of variations at different stages of the process to see if the effect was authentic.
The next step was to alter the main tagline. We changed the angle and darkened the colour slightly, in a similar fashion to the Kick-Ass edition we looked at previously. We kept the outline to black so it stood out against the dark background and began to add in extra information such as the date and price.
We then experimented with various fonts to convey horror, as we decided to create a 'Horror Season Special' issue. We downloaded a variety of typical horror fonts from dafont.com. After using each font for the 'Horror Season Special' tagline we went with 'Double Feature', a clique horror font that takes the harshness away from the rest of the cover. It also immediately conveys the theme of horror as it is a stereotypical horror font.
Taking inspiration again from the Kick-Ass issue we then created a 'splatter' shape out of a standard circle and a number of full stops and commas written in the horror fonts we had downloaded. This acted as a visual text box which also linked strongly to our horror theme.
At the end of the lesson, this was our development:
Monday 14 March 2011
Magazine Front Cover: 1st Draft
Blogged by Anya
This is how far we got with our magazine cover at the end of today's lesson.
We placed the image in InDesign and fitted it proportionally to the page. We did the same with the Empire masthead and positioned it on the image.
We added the first tag line which is our film title. We used the same font as we have in our other tasks (Broken 74) and positioned it on the page, this included rotating it slightly.
We experimented with transparency for both pieces of text but have not made a decision on the final transparency yet.
This is how far we got with our magazine cover at the end of today's lesson.
We placed the image in InDesign and fitted it proportionally to the page. We did the same with the Empire masthead and positioned it on the image.
We added the first tag line which is our film title. We used the same font as we have in our other tasks (Broken 74) and positioned it on the page, this included rotating it slightly.
We experimented with transparency for both pieces of text but have not made a decision on the final transparency yet.
Empire Magazine Font
Blogged by Naomi
In order to make our magazine front cover as realistic as possible we decided to use the Empire magazine logo itself. We started off by taking a previous Empire front cover and using the magic wand tool to select the masthead and layer via cut to separate the text from the background:
We then went on to delete the background of the magazine and opened the image we wish to use as our front cover in another Photoshop document. With both documents placed adjacent to each other we easily moved the masthead across to create the foundations of our magazine cover.
In order to make our magazine front cover as realistic as possible we decided to use the Empire magazine logo itself. We started off by taking a previous Empire front cover and using the magic wand tool to select the masthead and layer via cut to separate the text from the background:
We then went on to delete the background of the magazine and opened the image we wish to use as our front cover in another Photoshop document. With both documents placed adjacent to each other we easily moved the masthead across to create the foundations of our magazine cover.
Magazine Front Cover: Main Image
Blogged by Anya
Today we started our magazine front cover. This is our final ancillary task and the last thing we have to do before our evaluation.
We started by choosing a photo for our cover. We had already taken many photographs during filming and so all we had to do was look through our images and find the most suitable picture.
We have chosen this photo:
We decided to go with this running shot because the girl looks scared; the background is dark and sets a horror tone; it draws your eye in; and there is room for a masthead and tag lines.
I then used the colour adjustment tools in Photoshop to give the photo a blue tone. This makes the photo colder and is also what we did to the photo we used for the poster and so this gives a consistency to our products.
Today we started our magazine front cover. This is our final ancillary task and the last thing we have to do before our evaluation.
We started by choosing a photo for our cover. We had already taken many photographs during filming and so all we had to do was look through our images and find the most suitable picture.
We have chosen this photo:
We decided to go with this running shot because the girl looks scared; the background is dark and sets a horror tone; it draws your eye in; and there is room for a masthead and tag lines.
I then used the colour adjustment tools in Photoshop to give the photo a blue tone. This makes the photo colder and is also what we did to the photo we used for the poster and so this gives a consistency to our products.
Monday 7 March 2011
Magazine Front Cover
Blogged by Naomi
The final ancillary task we need to complete is the front cover of a magazine. We struggled a little trying to get a variety of different photos that would be appropriate for a magazine front cover, and so we looked at the poster for Catherine Hardwicke's 'Red Riding Hood':
We took some shots that showed our protagonist in a similar fashion but we felt that it didn't reflect our trailer too well. We then experimented with taking stills whilst the protagonist was running, but we found it difficult to capture a photo that wasn't blurred. We also took photos similar to that of our posters, but this time we took the photos from further away to get more of the background.
The final ancillary task we need to complete is the front cover of a magazine. We struggled a little trying to get a variety of different photos that would be appropriate for a magazine front cover, and so we looked at the poster for Catherine Hardwicke's 'Red Riding Hood':
We took some shots that showed our protagonist in a similar fashion but we felt that it didn't reflect our trailer too well. We then experimented with taking stills whilst the protagonist was running, but we found it difficult to capture a photo that wasn't blurred. We also took photos similar to that of our posters, but this time we took the photos from further away to get more of the background.
3D Poster
Blogged by Group
We used Photoshop to create a 3D poster.
The poster requires the older red and blue 3D glasses and looks really effective as it makes the image jump off the page.
Although the poster uses the old glasses, we were taking inspiration from the growing 3D industry and it shows our film could be converted to 3D to suit a contemporary audience.
The process involved duplicating layers and merging blue and red pages but only took a few minutes and we are really pleased with the results:
We used Photoshop to create a 3D poster.
The poster requires the older red and blue 3D glasses and looks really effective as it makes the image jump off the page.
Although the poster uses the old glasses, we were taking inspiration from the growing 3D industry and it shows our film could be converted to 3D to suit a contemporary audience.
The process involved duplicating layers and merging blue and red pages but only took a few minutes and we are really pleased with the results:
Trailer Feedback: Class
Blogged by Group
Today, we showed our trailer on the large screen in our class. We made a short questionnaire to collect our feedback.
The questionnaire was answered by 11 people in total.
100% said that they would watch the film.
All 11 knew that the genre was horror. We asked them why, here were our results:
11/11 thought that the plot was clear from the film and 4 also said that it did not give too much away which can ruin a trailer.
The people we questioned remembered a lot from the trailer. The things that came up the most were the location; the running shots; the music; and the title.
We also asked how we could improve our trailer.
Some of the feedback we recieved included:
1. Use of shadows to show the 'bad guy'.
2. Making the lighting darker.
3. Having people with the protagonist at the beginning.
The reason we have chosen not to change these things is because:
1. We cannot add shadows in post-production and we do not have time to re-shoot our trailer.
2. We could not film any later because you would not have been able to see much and it is difficult to change the lighting drastically after filming.
3. We were unable to find a group of people to film (as we have explained in another post).
Some other comments we received were:
"[The trailer] grabs the audience's attention."
"It doesn't give anything away, making the watching more intense."
"I like that you don't know who is 'caging' her."
"It looks professional."
"I want to find out what happens in the film."
From the feedback, we can see that we have made a successful horror movie trailer and we are happy with our final work.
Today, we showed our trailer on the large screen in our class. We made a short questionnaire to collect our feedback.
The questionnaire was answered by 11 people in total.
100% said that they would watch the film.
All 11 knew that the genre was horror. We asked them why, here were our results:
11/11 thought that the plot was clear from the film and 4 also said that it did not give too much away which can ruin a trailer.
The people we questioned remembered a lot from the trailer. The things that came up the most were the location; the running shots; the music; and the title.
We also asked how we could improve our trailer.
Some of the feedback we recieved included:
1. Use of shadows to show the 'bad guy'.
2. Making the lighting darker.
3. Having people with the protagonist at the beginning.
The reason we have chosen not to change these things is because:
1. We cannot add shadows in post-production and we do not have time to re-shoot our trailer.
2. We could not film any later because you would not have been able to see much and it is difficult to change the lighting drastically after filming.
3. We were unable to find a group of people to film (as we have explained in another post).
Some other comments we received were:
"[The trailer] grabs the audience's attention."
"It doesn't give anything away, making the watching more intense."
"I like that you don't know who is 'caging' her."
"It looks professional."
"I want to find out what happens in the film."
From the feedback, we can see that we have made a successful horror movie trailer and we are happy with our final work.
Monday 28 February 2011
Extra Marketing
Blogged by Group
Our lecturers found a website (http://www.cbsoutdoor.co.uk/Our-Media/Visualiser/) in which we could make a video that included our poster in real life situations such as on the back of a bus or in an underground station.
We made a video for a poster in an underground station and are very happy with the results as our poster looks very good.
We had to recreate our poster because of the shape of the advertising space. We decided to make it simple as this would be most effective in this situation.
Here is the poster :
We also found a website (http://photofunia.com/) in which we could put our poster onto adverts etc...
Here are some of the photos we created through that site:
Our lecturers found a website (http://www.cbsoutdoor.co.uk/Our-Media/Visualiser/) in which we could make a video that included our poster in real life situations such as on the back of a bus or in an underground station.
We made a video for a poster in an underground station and are very happy with the results as our poster looks very good.
We had to recreate our poster because of the shape of the advertising space. We decided to make it simple as this would be most effective in this situation.
Here is the poster :
We also found a website (http://photofunia.com/) in which we could put our poster onto adverts etc...
Here are some of the photos we created through that site:
Final Poster
Blogged by Group
We have finished the final poster for our trailer.
We added credits, the South Downs logo, reviews, a website address and star ratings to the teaser poster and took away the date as it was not necessary.
We researched what other credits looked like and did our own take on them, we also searched common film reviews to get an ideas for our pull quote and made sure we used current, well known reviewers/print based media as reference for the pull quote and star ratings.
We are extremely please with our final poster. We are going to ask people to comment on it and then act on their opinions if they think we could change anything to make it better.
This is our final poster:
We have finished the final poster for our trailer.
We added credits, the South Downs logo, reviews, a website address and star ratings to the teaser poster and took away the date as it was not necessary.
We researched what other credits looked like and did our own take on them, we also searched common film reviews to get an ideas for our pull quote and made sure we used current, well known reviewers/print based media as reference for the pull quote and star ratings.
We are extremely please with our final poster. We are going to ask people to comment on it and then act on their opinions if they think we could change anything to make it better.
This is our final poster:
Uploading Our Trailer
Blogged by Naomi
Now that we have finished our trailer we have uploaded it from iMovie onto Youtube in order for us to gain audience feedback. We can now resume working on our ancillary tasks, starting with the full movie poster.
Now that we have finished our trailer we have uploaded it from iMovie onto Youtube in order for us to gain audience feedback. We can now resume working on our ancillary tasks, starting with the full movie poster.
Monday 14 February 2011
Trailer Feedback: Lecturers
Blogged by Group
We have finished our trailer and so we showed it to three of the college media lecturers.
They said that we had good sound and narrative.
They told us that the angles we used were very effective and that it built well to a climax.
They also said that they thought the music was similar to Inception and that it worked well with our footage.
We have finished our trailer and so we showed it to three of the college media lecturers.
They said that we had good sound and narrative.
They told us that the angles we used were very effective and that it built well to a climax.
They also said that they thought the music was similar to Inception and that it worked well with our footage.
Adding Audio
Blogged by Anya
After we found the party sound effect and the music we wanted to use, we put them onto our trailer.
We decided to add a black screen at the beginning of our trailer that lasts two seconds, we felt that it would make the audio fit better with the footage.
We layered the party sounds and the music to create a convincing piece of audio for our trailer.
After we found the party sound effect and the music we wanted to use, we put them onto our trailer.
We decided to add a black screen at the beginning of our trailer that lasts two seconds, we felt that it would make the audio fit better with the footage.
We layered the party sounds and the music to create a convincing piece of audio for our trailer.
Sound Effects
Blogged by Group
Although we were unsuccessful in finding the sound effects for our party scene/ending last week, we were able to find two sound effects today that would be really effective in our trailer. The first is the sound of a group of girls talking and laughing as though they are at a party, which we will use at the beginning of our trailer to imply that there is a party happening out of shot:
Party Sound Effect
After finding a sound effect of a door creaking, we added it into our trailer but was too long for the clip we wished to place it over. We then shortened the sound effect to fit in with the clip but because the sound was cut short it did not have the same effect. At this point we decided to search for a 'bang' instead as this is a short sound effect that will hopefully be more effective in provoking an audience reaction (i.e. making them jump), rather than them simply witnessing the protagonist's reaction and not engaging with the trailer. However we decided once we watched it back that a sound effect wasn't really necessary and it was effective the way it was.
We also found some music to place over the party scene, in particular the shot of the protagonist drinking from:
Party Music
The music is called 'Snapsphere' and is royalty free.
Although we were unsuccessful in finding the sound effects for our party scene/ending last week, we were able to find two sound effects today that would be really effective in our trailer. The first is the sound of a group of girls talking and laughing as though they are at a party, which we will use at the beginning of our trailer to imply that there is a party happening out of shot:
Party Sound Effect
After finding a sound effect of a door creaking, we added it into our trailer but was too long for the clip we wished to place it over. We then shortened the sound effect to fit in with the clip but because the sound was cut short it did not have the same effect. At this point we decided to search for a 'bang' instead as this is a short sound effect that will hopefully be more effective in provoking an audience reaction (i.e. making them jump), rather than them simply witnessing the protagonist's reaction and not engaging with the trailer. However we decided once we watched it back that a sound effect wasn't really necessary and it was effective the way it was.
We also found some music to place over the party scene, in particular the shot of the protagonist drinking from:
Party Music
The music is called 'Snapsphere' and is royalty free.
Monday 7 February 2011
Music: Party Scene
Blogged by Naomi
We are now at the stage where we are looking for a short piece of music that will fit the beginning of our trailer. As previously mentioned we were unable to obtain a small group of people who were able to film at the same time, so we need to find a piece of music that implies there is a small party out of shot, essentially including voices as well to add authenticity.
We have used Youtube and various free music download websites, looking for appropriate music/sound effects. We have also looked at various party scenes in TV shows such as Skins, Misfits and Gossip Girl. However they contain copyrighted music and so we are unable to use this material.
After quite some time we have found a copyright free clip we wish to use, but we are having trouble downloading it. We have tried recording the audio on our phones and then using bluetooth to transfer it to the mac, but we are also having trouble getting a connection. In order to resolve this we are searching for similar sounds again on Youtube.
We are now at the stage where we are looking for a short piece of music that will fit the beginning of our trailer. As previously mentioned we were unable to obtain a small group of people who were able to film at the same time, so we need to find a piece of music that implies there is a small party out of shot, essentially including voices as well to add authenticity.
We have used Youtube and various free music download websites, looking for appropriate music/sound effects. We have also looked at various party scenes in TV shows such as Skins, Misfits and Gossip Girl. However they contain copyrighted music and so we are unable to use this material.
After quite some time we have found a copyright free clip we wish to use, but we are having trouble downloading it. We have tried recording the audio on our phones and then using bluetooth to transfer it to the mac, but we are also having trouble getting a connection. In order to resolve this we are searching for similar sounds again on Youtube.
Monday 31 January 2011
Music And Editing
Blogged by Group
After making a rough cut of our trailer, we set about looking for music to use as the soundtrack. We wanted a piece that built up and that would fit with the cuts and running clips but that wasn't too busy as to disturb the dialogue.
We listened to existing movie soundtracks on YouTube, such as the 28 Days Later music (John Murphy) and the Saw theme (Charlie Clouser). We found that these soundtracks were too recognisable and that they didn't fit the feel of our trailer.
After looking for quite a while, we found this piece of music:
We played it behind our trailer and found that it fit well with our cuts and gave the trailer the right atmosphere.
We then downloaded the music and imported it to iMovie. We added it to our trailer after the party scene and blank screen that our protagonist breathes over.
The music is shown by the purple background.
We now do not have much left to do with our trailer before we can concentrate solely on the ancillary tasks. We just have to find some music for the party clip at the beginning and a 'creaking door' sound for the end and fine tune the footage.
After making a rough cut of our trailer, we set about looking for music to use as the soundtrack. We wanted a piece that built up and that would fit with the cuts and running clips but that wasn't too busy as to disturb the dialogue.
We listened to existing movie soundtracks on YouTube, such as the 28 Days Later music (John Murphy) and the Saw theme (Charlie Clouser). We found that these soundtracks were too recognisable and that they didn't fit the feel of our trailer.
After looking for quite a while, we found this piece of music:
We played it behind our trailer and found that it fit well with our cuts and gave the trailer the right atmosphere.
We then downloaded the music and imported it to iMovie. We added it to our trailer after the party scene and blank screen that our protagonist breathes over.
The music is shown by the purple background.
We now do not have much left to do with our trailer before we can concentrate solely on the ancillary tasks. We just have to find some music for the party clip at the beginning and a 'creaking door' sound for the end and fine tune the footage.
Editing Our Footage
Blogged by Group
We spent the lesson uploading our footage to iMovie and cutting and editing this footage to create the basics of our trailer. Like the footage we had edited before, we used a 'Day into Night' filter to create a setting commonly used in successful horror films.
We played with the arrangement of the clips to create a fast pace that builds tension and suspense, for example breaking up the dialogue with short running scenes. We also altered the speed of a couple of clips as some of the running scenes were more effective at different speeds. One in particular was very effective in slow motion, which we placed towards the end of the trailer to intensify the feeling of suspense.
In order for our trailer to come together we also added in some transitions such as fades and dissolves to add continuity, although some of the straight cuts from scene to scene were quite effective and so we left them in. We also added the title, date and tagline in two separate shots, separated by a quick shot of the protagonist cowering back into the corner in terror. We felt this would work as it would hopefully leave a lasting impression on the viewer as when the title flashes up it could signal the end of the trailer, which is then cut to this dramatic scene which again leaves the viewer with unanswered questions.
We spent the lesson uploading our footage to iMovie and cutting and editing this footage to create the basics of our trailer. Like the footage we had edited before, we used a 'Day into Night' filter to create a setting commonly used in successful horror films.
We played with the arrangement of the clips to create a fast pace that builds tension and suspense, for example breaking up the dialogue with short running scenes. We also altered the speed of a couple of clips as some of the running scenes were more effective at different speeds. One in particular was very effective in slow motion, which we placed towards the end of the trailer to intensify the feeling of suspense.
In order for our trailer to come together we also added in some transitions such as fades and dissolves to add continuity, although some of the straight cuts from scene to scene were quite effective and so we left them in. We also added the title, date and tagline in two separate shots, separated by a quick shot of the protagonist cowering back into the corner in terror. We felt this would work as it would hopefully leave a lasting impression on the viewer as when the title flashes up it could signal the end of the trailer, which is then cut to this dramatic scene which again leaves the viewer with unanswered questions.
Filming
Blogged by Naomi
Fortunately over the weekend we were able to film the rest of our footage, and so we have put our ancillary tasks on hold for the time being. Due to a lack of actors who were available at the same time we were unable to film the party scene we had originally planned, but we feel that we now have enough footage that we can cut the scene and still have an effective horror trailer at the end. We decided that we will hint towards a party at the very beginning of our trailer when the protagonist is drinking, we will put loud music and voices over the top to imply there are more people out of shot.
Fortunately over the weekend we were able to film the rest of our footage, and so we have put our ancillary tasks on hold for the time being. Due to a lack of actors who were available at the same time we were unable to film the party scene we had originally planned, but we feel that we now have enough footage that we can cut the scene and still have an effective horror trailer at the end. We decided that we will hint towards a party at the very beginning of our trailer when the protagonist is drinking, we will put loud music and voices over the top to imply there are more people out of shot.
Monday 24 January 2011
Full Poster Analysis: Hatchet
Blogged by Anya
As we have mentioned earlier, we want the advertisement for our film to be focused on the content rather than the actor(s). Because of this we have decided that the actor's name is unnecessary on the full poster we are designing.
The majority of film posters include actors names but there are some that have reviews included in the poster instead. We have chosen to do this.
A poster we looked at that did this was the poster for 'Buried' which used an image of the film surrounded by reviews. This is not how we want our poster to look but it was useful in looking at the type of reviews we should use and the way the comments are worded.
This is a poster for 'Hatchet'; it is very similar to how we envisage our final poster design. It has a large image from the film, and a large title. There is a review at the top of the poster and a tagline below the title. The poster also includes a website address. We will be using a similar layout for our own poster.
As we have mentioned earlier, we want the advertisement for our film to be focused on the content rather than the actor(s). Because of this we have decided that the actor's name is unnecessary on the full poster we are designing.
The majority of film posters include actors names but there are some that have reviews included in the poster instead. We have chosen to do this.
A poster we looked at that did this was the poster for 'Buried' which used an image of the film surrounded by reviews. This is not how we want our poster to look but it was useful in looking at the type of reviews we should use and the way the comments are worded.
This is a poster for 'Hatchet'; it is very similar to how we envisage our final poster design. It has a large image from the film, and a large title. There is a review at the top of the poster and a tagline below the title. The poster also includes a website address. We will be using a similar layout for our own poster.
Full Poster Analysis: Vanishing On 7th Street
Blogged by Naomi
In a similar manner to 'Red State', Brad Anderson's 'Vanishing on 7th Street' was publicised through a string of posters distributed in the run up to the film's release date. However 'Red State' was advertised using a number of teaser posters, whereas 'Vanishing on 7th Street' was advertised using three full posters. Each poster consists of a gripping main image and an accompanying tag line which gives the audience a slight indication of the storyline. Together they tell the audience the basis of the storyline without giving the plot away.
The poster above is one of the three posters distributed for 'Vanishing on 7th Street'. Based on the colour scheme alone there is suspense created as the colour black can symbolise night-time, the time in which many horror films are set. This is contrasted with the off-white text and white/teal effect of the main image. This effect is similar to that of video recording at night, shown in the night scenes of 'Paranormal Activity'. It can also be linked with the posters of 'White Noise'. This effect helps to generate suspense and fear as the light really highlights the static shot of the girl's screams.
The tag line 'Fear lives in the dark' is written in a darker font at the top of the screen, directly linking to being physically in the dark. The tag line itself can easily create fear as it is a relation to the common fear of darkness and again probes the audience to ask questions.
The full poster is complete with the names of the actors appearing in the film, the film website and the film credits.
In a similar manner to 'Red State', Brad Anderson's 'Vanishing on 7th Street' was publicised through a string of posters distributed in the run up to the film's release date. However 'Red State' was advertised using a number of teaser posters, whereas 'Vanishing on 7th Street' was advertised using three full posters. Each poster consists of a gripping main image and an accompanying tag line which gives the audience a slight indication of the storyline. Together they tell the audience the basis of the storyline without giving the plot away.
The poster above is one of the three posters distributed for 'Vanishing on 7th Street'. Based on the colour scheme alone there is suspense created as the colour black can symbolise night-time, the time in which many horror films are set. This is contrasted with the off-white text and white/teal effect of the main image. This effect is similar to that of video recording at night, shown in the night scenes of 'Paranormal Activity'. It can also be linked with the posters of 'White Noise'. This effect helps to generate suspense and fear as the light really highlights the static shot of the girl's screams.
The tag line 'Fear lives in the dark' is written in a darker font at the top of the screen, directly linking to being physically in the dark. The tag line itself can easily create fear as it is a relation to the common fear of darkness and again probes the audience to ask questions.
The full poster is complete with the names of the actors appearing in the film, the film website and the film credits.
Teaser Poster: Final Draft
Blogged by Naomi
Above is the final draft of our teaser poster. I believe this is a successful teaser poster as like the teaser poster for Red State it creates questions in the audience's mind which are left unanswered until the release of the trailer or film itself:
- Who is caged?
- Why is she caged?
- Who caged her?
- Where is she?
- What will happen to her?
- Will she escape?
Again, like the teaser poster for Red State the text is coloured red. However in our poster it is a deeper red which can symbolize blood and could perhaps be a subtle hint towards the storyline. Also, as we said before, the colour highlights the red of her hand and contrasts with the cold, blue tone of the main image. The direct eye contact with the audience also helps to draw the audience in and connect them with the main character.
Above is the final draft of our teaser poster. I believe this is a successful teaser poster as like the teaser poster for Red State it creates questions in the audience's mind which are left unanswered until the release of the trailer or film itself:
- Who is caged?
- Why is she caged?
- Who caged her?
- Where is she?
- What will happen to her?
- Will she escape?
Again, like the teaser poster for Red State the text is coloured red. However in our poster it is a deeper red which can symbolize blood and could perhaps be a subtle hint towards the storyline. Also, as we said before, the colour highlights the red of her hand and contrasts with the cold, blue tone of the main image. The direct eye contact with the audience also helps to draw the audience in and connect them with the main character.
Monday 17 January 2011
Date Font
Blogged by Group
The font that we used for the title on our poster is not programmed for numbers. This gave us a problem when trying to put the date onto our teaser poster.
We made a version with Roman numerals but we do not think that it looks right and believe it will look better with numbers. Also, the audience may be unfamiliar with roman numerals and so this information would be meaningless to them. Another problem that could be encountered is that because it doesn't state the date in numbers, the audience will not know the release date if they do not know roman numerals.
We have looked through different fonts on Microsoft Word to find one that will work well on our poster:
Another font we liked the look of was 'Times and Times Again'. We fount it on Word but unfortunately it would not work in the document so when we tested the fonts with our poster we looked at it on Photoshop instead.
The font we liked best was 'Times and Times Again'. It looked best with our title as it is not too fussy but also not too plain like 'Times New Roman' might have been. It also has a slight horror look and fits in with the font of the title really well.
The font that we used for the title on our poster is not programmed for numbers. This gave us a problem when trying to put the date onto our teaser poster.
We made a version with Roman numerals but we do not think that it looks right and believe it will look better with numbers. Also, the audience may be unfamiliar with roman numerals and so this information would be meaningless to them. Another problem that could be encountered is that because it doesn't state the date in numbers, the audience will not know the release date if they do not know roman numerals.
We have looked through different fonts on Microsoft Word to find one that will work well on our poster:
Another font we liked the look of was 'Times and Times Again'. We fount it on Word but unfortunately it would not work in the document so when we tested the fonts with our poster we looked at it on Photoshop instead.
The font we liked best was 'Times and Times Again'. It looked best with our title as it is not too fussy but also not too plain like 'Times New Roman' might have been. It also has a slight horror look and fits in with the font of the title really well.
Running Sequence
Blogged by Anya
After watching our trailer so far, we noticed that the 'running sequence' is not as effective as we had hoped. We feel that we could reshoot it a different way to add more tension and pace to the trailer.
In order to get this right, I watched running sequences from a selection of different films.
One film we found that included an successful running section was in McFly's film Nowhere Left to Run (Julian Gibbs,2010). The short film is not a typical horror film but the way the running sequence was filmed created a suspense effectively.
You can see small clips of this running sequence in the trailer:
I saw that pace and tension were created through tracking shots, close ups and fast cuts. The tracking shots shake a little as if filmed on a hand held camera and this helps to add suspense and the close ups and fast cuts help to add pace to the section. The pace seems very fast although the footage has been slowed done because the trees and other obstructions as in between the camera and actors. This makes the footage look slightly disjointed although cuts have not been used and this helps to add tension.
We hope to use similar techniques when we re shoot our running sequence.
After watching our trailer so far, we noticed that the 'running sequence' is not as effective as we had hoped. We feel that we could reshoot it a different way to add more tension and pace to the trailer.
In order to get this right, I watched running sequences from a selection of different films.
One film we found that included an successful running section was in McFly's film Nowhere Left to Run (Julian Gibbs,2010). The short film is not a typical horror film but the way the running sequence was filmed created a suspense effectively.
You can see small clips of this running sequence in the trailer:
I saw that pace and tension were created through tracking shots, close ups and fast cuts. The tracking shots shake a little as if filmed on a hand held camera and this helps to add suspense and the close ups and fast cuts help to add pace to the section. The pace seems very fast although the footage has been slowed done because the trees and other obstructions as in between the camera and actors. This makes the footage look slightly disjointed although cuts have not been used and this helps to add tension.
We hope to use similar techniques when we re shoot our running sequence.
Teaser Poster Analysis: Red State
Blogged by Naomi
We have decided to create two versions of our poster - one being a teaser poster to be distributed before the release date and the other containing more information to be published after the release date. A teaser poster is simply what it says: a poster which teases its audience with a lack of information which leaves them curious and anticipating more.
Many horror films that have been released have had a teaser poster, such as Scream, The Final Destination and Saw VI. I think teaser posters work particularly well with horror films as it builds a sense of tension much like the tension conveyed in the film itself.
A successful teaser poster we came across was for 'Red State':
The first thing I was drawn to was the image - what appears to be a figure draped in white material standing in front of a cross. In the background is a number of windows and the image itself is fairly blurred and almost misty, giving an uneasy tone to the poster. There is also a number of visible scratches and marks across the image which further adds to the atmosphere.
However the main attraction is the text. Consisting of just six words, the poster leaves the audience with a number of questions:
-Why should I fear God?
-When in 2011 is the film being released?
-What/Where is Red State?
The text is written in red, making it stand out against the dull coloured image and so the audience is drawn to this. Again red is a colour which connotes death/blood and danger and also creates a sense of urgency within the poster - all regular features in a typical horror film.
Also the concept of the poster is intriguing. Without researching the film and just merely looking at the poster, I feel that the concept itself can definitely create and build upon the feelings the audience generally feel when watching a horror movie. The topic of religion is a fairly serious idea in everyday life, with Christians believing in God being a somewhat hero, a person to look up to and who will protect them. So with the tag line being simply 'Fear God' it will provoke a reaction from the audience and have them wanting to find out why the person who is seen as a 'saint' may not, according to the film, be who we think.
However producer Kevin Smith was unique in publicising his film as he released not one teaser poster, but seven. With the first being distributed on Halloween 2010, each poster that followed had the same lack of text and the scratches and marks are uniform throughout. Each poster cleverly boasts just a small detail about the character shown on each poster.
We have decided to create two versions of our poster - one being a teaser poster to be distributed before the release date and the other containing more information to be published after the release date. A teaser poster is simply what it says: a poster which teases its audience with a lack of information which leaves them curious and anticipating more.
Many horror films that have been released have had a teaser poster, such as Scream, The Final Destination and Saw VI. I think teaser posters work particularly well with horror films as it builds a sense of tension much like the tension conveyed in the film itself.
A successful teaser poster we came across was for 'Red State':
The first thing I was drawn to was the image - what appears to be a figure draped in white material standing in front of a cross. In the background is a number of windows and the image itself is fairly blurred and almost misty, giving an uneasy tone to the poster. There is also a number of visible scratches and marks across the image which further adds to the atmosphere.
However the main attraction is the text. Consisting of just six words, the poster leaves the audience with a number of questions:
-Why should I fear God?
-When in 2011 is the film being released?
-What/Where is Red State?
The text is written in red, making it stand out against the dull coloured image and so the audience is drawn to this. Again red is a colour which connotes death/blood and danger and also creates a sense of urgency within the poster - all regular features in a typical horror film.
Also the concept of the poster is intriguing. Without researching the film and just merely looking at the poster, I feel that the concept itself can definitely create and build upon the feelings the audience generally feel when watching a horror movie. The topic of religion is a fairly serious idea in everyday life, with Christians believing in God being a somewhat hero, a person to look up to and who will protect them. So with the tag line being simply 'Fear God' it will provoke a reaction from the audience and have them wanting to find out why the person who is seen as a 'saint' may not, according to the film, be who we think.
However producer Kevin Smith was unique in publicising his film as he released not one teaser poster, but seven. With the first being distributed on Halloween 2010, each poster that followed had the same lack of text and the scratches and marks are uniform throughout. Each poster cleverly boasts just a small detail about the character shown on each poster.
Group Discussion: Filming
Blogged by Anya
Unfortunately, due to conflicting schedules with our actor, we were unable to finish our filming this weekend.
The heavy rain has also made it difficult to get to our location.
Today we plan to finish our teaser poster and start creating the other version of our poster.
Before we finalize our teaser poster we will do a little more research to make sure that we get it right.
Unfortunately, due to conflicting schedules with our actor, we were unable to finish our filming this weekend.
The heavy rain has also made it difficult to get to our location.
Today we plan to finish our teaser poster and start creating the other version of our poster.
Before we finalize our teaser poster we will do a little more research to make sure that we get it right.
Monday 10 January 2011
Poster: 1st Draft
Blogged by Group
This is the first draft of our poster. We opened the photo on Photoshop, added the title of the film and adjusted the transparency from 100% to 70% because we felt it looked better. We chose a dark red for the text as it stands out against the blue tone of the photo, but also helped to highlight the red on the girl's hand.
We have chosen to create two versions of our poster. One will be a teaser poster with just the title and the release date. The second will have a website and pull quotes. Below is the first draft of our teaser poster:
This is the first draft of our poster. We opened the photo on Photoshop, added the title of the film and adjusted the transparency from 100% to 70% because we felt it looked better. We chose a dark red for the text as it stands out against the blue tone of the photo, but also helped to highlight the red on the girl's hand.
We have chosen to create two versions of our poster. One will be a teaser poster with just the title and the release date. The second will have a website and pull quotes. Below is the first draft of our teaser poster:
Poster Photo Survey
Blogged by Anya
This is the survey that we sent around the class:
The results are as follows:
1- 0
2- 0
3- 1
4- 8
5- 1
The results show that photo number 4 is most effective:
After the survey had been round the class, we gave it to our lecturer and discussed with him which photo he thought was most effective.
He told us that his two favourite were number 4 and 5. He said that number 4 would work well for a movie set in the autumn/winter because the blue tone makes it look cold and dark and that number 5 would look good for a summer film. He also liked that fact that the red on the character's hands is highlighted in both photos.
Because we have filmed the trailer in winter and plan to set it as a halloween release, we have chosen photo 4:
This is the survey that we sent around the class:
The results are as follows:
1- 0
2- 0
3- 1
4- 8
5- 1
The results show that photo number 4 is most effective:
After the survey had been round the class, we gave it to our lecturer and discussed with him which photo he thought was most effective.
He told us that his two favourite were number 4 and 5. He said that number 4 would work well for a movie set in the autumn/winter because the blue tone makes it look cold and dark and that number 5 would look good for a summer film. He also liked that fact that the red on the character's hands is highlighted in both photos.
Because we have filmed the trailer in winter and plan to set it as a halloween release, we have chosen photo 4:
Group Discussion: Filming
Blogged by Anya
Today was our first day back after the Christmas break.
We had hoped to get all our footage by Christmas but unfortunately our actor was unavailable.
We plan to finish our filming in the next couple weeks so that we can create the first complete, rough cut of our trailer.
Today we plan to start making our poster.
We have chosen the photo that we want to use and have already played around with editing.
We are going to take a small poll around the class, including our lecturer, to choose the most effective edit of the photo we wish to use and then we will start putting together the poster.
Today was our first day back after the Christmas break.
We had hoped to get all our footage by Christmas but unfortunately our actor was unavailable.
We plan to finish our filming in the next couple weeks so that we can create the first complete, rough cut of our trailer.
Today we plan to start making our poster.
We have chosen the photo that we want to use and have already played around with editing.
We are going to take a small poll around the class, including our lecturer, to choose the most effective edit of the photo we wish to use and then we will start putting together the poster.
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