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.
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