updated magazine cover

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

We showed a group of people our media trailer in order to see whether our trailer followed the conventions of other trailers, we also found out what they thought went well and what we could have improved on. 

Positives

The audience felt that they were drawn in from the start and that the initial connection with the characters in the film was well established.
They liked that we had the clips at the beginning in the style of a home video and felt this was a good convention of action trailers and helped establish relationships between the characters.
The music contrasts with the clips but makes it more emotive and highlights the emotions the characters are experiencing.
 The titles that were used were conventional of an action trailer as they stood out and went well with the music as there were fades to black. They titles were also conventional as they directly addressed the audience involving them in the trailer.
They liked the use of location as being filmed in London was more interesting and added to the dramatic feel of the trailer as a child being taken in London would make it harder to find them. There were also a variety of places which made it more interesting and the search more dramatic.

Negatives

From where we had recorded the videos we used at the beginning you could see the light which had reflected onto the TV into the corner which made it look less professional.
We had two characters fighting which had no place in the storyline as we had not introduced them or did not develop their places after. 
At the end of one of the clips you can hear the camera being put down which could have been avoided if we had just clipped that little bit off. 
Our voiceover explained the storyline however we did not develop this visually which we could have done more. 

How is it like other trailers?

The use of the home video clips and inter titles throughout the clip help to build tension as this is a convention of action trailers. They felt the music used gave an insight into how the character felt and this is similar to other action trailers.
A variety of locations were used and this is typical of action trailers.

What we would do differently next time

The sound could have been better throughout, not just the clip of the camera being put down but we struggled with making the music quieter then louder again to go with the talking and at times this transition wasn't particularly smooth. We would also make sure that all characters we showed were relevant to the plot and developed throughout. We also could have included more footage of the kidnappers as this would have established the fight between them and the dad better.

We also uploaded the clip onto twitter and Facebook so that we could get further feedback from a larger variety of people. We also thought that the majority of people are aged 15 and over which is our target audience so it would be useful to put them on these social networking sites. Our feedback from the social networking sites was very positive. Everyone who watched the trailer said they would be interested in seeing the film but, similar to our other audience feedback they were confused by the fight scene as they didn't understand who the characters were. Everyone found the music and the home video style clips at the start very effective and we feel that this is a strong point in our trailer.

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

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms ad conventions of real media products?

I have taken 9 screenshots from our trailer to show how our trailer conforms to conventions of an action trailer. The first screenshot is from the titles we used throughout the trailer, these are typical not just of action trailers, but most trailers, as they build the tension as the plot develops throughout the trailer. We have conformed to the conventions of action trailers through our font and our use of questions. The silver font on a black background features in many action films and we used this as we think it is effective and it is also simple and stands out against the black engaging the audience. The use of questions is also typical of action films as it sets up the plot of the film and indicates what the big fight in the film will be about. This is also effective in drawing the audience in as it directly addresses them.

The second screenshot is of one of our main characters being taught how to ride a bike by her dad, this establishes the relationship between the character and allows the audience to associate themselves with them. This also allows the audience to become more emotionally attached to the characters which then goes onto create tension throughout the trailer as the two characters are shown more. This shot is in the format of a home video which furthermore adds a more personal touch to the trailer emotionally involving the audience more. Although this is not a typical convention of trailers, a relationship between characters is usually established, however we decided to do it through the use of home videos as we thought it was more effective in engaging the audience, especially as the character was young.

The third screen shot shows the moment when the daughter goes missing with the shot of the empty swing and the mum. This is shown after the home video clips which creates a strong contrast, this keeps the audience engaged. Quick changes in the atmosphere is common in trailers as it keeps the audiences attention and keeps them watching which is why we used this quick pace change in our trailer. The setting is also a convention of trailers as it is a recognizable and relatable place for the audience from when they were younger, therefore creating more of an emotional impact on the audience when she goes missing.

The next screenshot is an establishing shot of Trafalgar square in London, it is a long shot showing the National Gallery in the background and highlighting the crowds in the area. We also have the dad in the shot dressed in a suit indicating he has come from work. This setting makes the trailer more realistic and builds tension as we have the voiceover playing over the shot and the business makes the task of finding his daughter even  more difficult. A setting in a city is a common convention of action films as almost all action cities are set in big cities as they often use lots of fast cars and big fight scenes which appear more dramatic in big cities. We chose London for this reason but we also thought that by setting a film in a place which is a big tourist attraction it not only attracts an English audience but an international one also.

The fifth screen shot is a high angle shot of the dad walking down the steps in Trafalgar Square again, this shows the audience that this is a vulnerable character. However we did it through the railings which suggests to the audience he is being watched by somebody. This further demonstrates the storyline to the audience and establishes the genre as action as this scene indicates there will be a stereotypical fight/chase scene. This scene is also conforming to the conventions of action trailers as it increases the tension therefore starting to build the suspense in the trailer which is a key feature action trailers rely on.

The sixth screen shot is a different shot of the stereotypical car chase scene which we experimented with. We decided to do the shot of the wing mirror of the car as we thought it was different which then draws in the audience as it stands out. This is conforming to the conventions of action trailers as it increases the pace of the trailer and also indicates to the audience that the trailer will include the stereotypical things which are in action films.

The seventh screen shot is a low angle shot of the dad being  chased back in London. He has changed his clothes which demonstrates to the audience that this is a different day which in a way increases the pace of the trailer as it indicates how the dad has now started the fight for his daughter. We used a low angle shot of the chase scene as it makes the man chasing the dad seem more intimidating which increases the tension in the trailer. This scene conforms to conventions of action trailers as it is towards the end of the trailer which is usually when the pace picks up which we have done through this stereotypical chase scene. This draws the audience in and keeps the engaged as the faster paced shots indicate the action genre.

The next screenshot is of the title of our film "Playing With Fire" which we put at the end of the trailer before our last scene, although typically it would be the last title of the trailer we had seen the title of the film placed here in action trailers and thought it was effective. We used bold white font in capitals as this a convention of action film titles, we also think it is effective as it stands out against the black background. We decided to have the word "fire" in orange as it made it stand out and just further demonstrates the danger the characters experience.

The last screenshot is of Rebecca tied up, we showed her whole body before showing a close up in order to highlight how she has been kidnapped. We also used quite a plain setting in order to emphasise the sense of isolation. We put this scene after the titles which is a convention some trailers used in order to make the audience remember important scenes or to surprise them, we think that this scene was unexpected and effective.

Throughout our trailer we used fade to blacks between most scenes as it is a common convention used in action trailers in order to build tension and suspense. They are also effective in making the transitions between scenes better as the trailer is not in chronological order. 

Feedback

R&P = 16
Trailer = 25
Film poster =8
Magazine cover =6
Evaluation = 0

Total = 55 D

Targets:
Magazine - font of Empire - is this following the conventions of the magazine?
Profiles of actors along with explanation as to why they are appropriate for the role.
Complete evaluation activities

Magazine Cover

Our magazine cover follows the conventions of Empire covers. We use the same picture from our poster as the main image which creates a link between the poster and magazine cover. We made the film strip across the bottom as a magazine article would give away more than a poster so the pictures create more of an insight to the film for the audience. We used the same font for the title of Playing With Fire as we feel this is conventional of the action genre. The story's down the side and at the bottom were similar to other titles we had seen on other Empire covers, we conformed to the conventions of the title by creating a font design and keeping to it making it look professional. 

Our Poster

Our poster which we made in Photoshop looks effective and draws the audience in. We have made London the scene at the bottom, this is also the location we use throughout our trailer. This attracts an audience as London is a location associated with big budget films and is a place of interest for a UK and international audience. We put our main character in the middle to allow the audience to familiarise themselves with him. We had the title at the top in bold silver capitalised font which is a convention of action posters, we also used the same font that we had used in our trailer to create a link between the two products. We put the release date further down and bold to make it stand out and try to make the audience remember the date. 

Film poster and magazine cover research: Captain America

Captain America 

 The two posters for Captain America are very different. The first one is unconventional of an action poster the colours are dull with the background being grey. The title doesn't stand out much as it is a silver colour and just blends into the background and the picture. The release date is at the bottom of the poster, again in the silver font, but does not particularly stand out. Captain America himself is portrayed as an unconventional hero as he shown to be looking down which makes him look defeated. The only colour in the poster the shield which could be to allow the audience to identify the character as Captain America. We would not want to use this kind of design for our poster as nothing stands out much therefore not attracting an audience and selling the film. Whereas, the second poster is much more conventional, it features more characters which immediately catches the audiences eye. Captain America is shown to be more of a conventional hero as he stands with the other characters behind him and walking out of fire, this shows the audience he is the main character and is a heroic one. On the left side of the poster there is the American flag which further reinforces the name of the film. Mise on scene is also important in establishing the storyline as one of the characters us dressed in a military uniform whilst there is also guns and planes suggesting there is something to do with war. The font on the poster is bold and white at the bottom of the poster, the white font stands out against the fire in the background, however the release date is still at the bottom and stands out from the director and actors credits but it is not as big as it usually is on film posters.

The Empire cover for Captain America immediately stands out because of the American flag as the background. The main character is the only character featured on the cover, he is wearing the usual costume for his character which allows the audience to identify him and identify the film. The font used on this cover is different to other magazine covers, the title of the film is still white and big, standing out on the cover. Whilst the line underneath is in yellow font but is in an older style font which is different to fonts usually used on magazine covers. The other stories featured do not stand out much against the background they are in a smaller font in yellow and white, while the story at the bottom is presented differently on a white banner which doesn't make it stand out as much. This magazine cover is effective in the use of the background and how the character stands out through the use of costume and posture, however the font and the other stories are not shown to stand out as much as they do on other posters.

Film poster and magazine cover research: The Avengers

The Avengers 

The poster for The Avengers is unlikely to be like ours as there is more than one main character and they all feature on the poster. This does attract attention to the poster and shows what the film is about as the characters are well known, however a poster with this much on for our film would not be suitable. As it is the first film which has featured all these characters they are all also on the poster to enforce how the film is about all these superheros, mise on scene is also heavily relied upon so that all the characters can be identified by the audience. The background demonstrates the city setting which is typical of action films and the explosion and debris further indicates the genre. All of the characters are all seen to be looking in different directions suggesting they are all joined together to defend against something which further indicates the genre of the film is trailer. The title is typical white font and stands out against the darker bottom of the trailer, the release date is also bigger with the letter "A" being the same as the letter "A" in the word the Avengers which makes it easily identifiable for the audience. The Marvel is above the title for the Avengers which just indicates to the audience who has made the film.

The poster for The Avengers is similar to The Dark Knight Rises as there were different magazine covers to collect, this was more suitable and effective than the poster as then the cover wasn't overcrowded with all the characters - this is why we only want to put one character as the main picture on our cover. Direct eye contact is made with the characters which allows the audience to identify with the characters and further draws attention to them. The costume is emphasized with his hand held up and the lights on his hands on which draws attention to the cover. This cover also has the different coloured circle like the Sherlock Holmes cover which makes it stand out from the rest. It also used the film strip across the bottom like the Sherlock Holmes cover, however, it doesn't include screen shots from the film instead it includes the other films which would be featured in the magazine. This is different to how we want to use the film strip for our magazine cover. The title of the film is in bold white font, which is almost as big as the The Empire logo, this makes it stand out to the audience immediately.Underneath in red font is "The Ultimate Superhero Movie Assembled Inside" which indicates what the article on the avengers will feature and the magazine emphasizes how this is the first film to feature all of these superheros. Skyfall is mentioned above the Empire logo with the Skyfall logo, but doesn't stand out as much as other stories did on the other magazine covers. 

Film poster and magazine cover research: Django Unchained

Django Unchained

This poster is different as it has a white background rather than a picture of a place. This poster only has the three main characters on with them in black and white, their costume and prop indicate how the film is not set in modern day. The poster does not reveal much about the film apart from the tagline at the top in black font which indicates the genre as it mentions a pursuit suggesting an action film. We like posters which have the tagline and we will have one on our poster. The titles are done down the middle of the main character which is different which makes it stand out to the audience. The font for the actors is in white whilst the release date, director and film name are in red which makes them stand out and attract attention. 

The magazine cover for Django Unchained is different to other covers as the other stories featured are only mentioned at the top and bottom of the cover with it only being one line, the picture takes over most of the cover which indicates to the audience that this is going to be a big film. The characters are standing in the same arrangement as the poster which shows who are the main three characters and who is the main one overall. The font is in white and stands out against the picture, it has a different tagline to the poster which appeals the cover to the audience. We would consider doing our poster this way if we could take a picture effective enough to cover the whole page. 

Film poster and magazine cover research: Sherlock Holmes 2

Sherlock Holmes 2

The poster for Sherlock Holmes as the setting of the Eiffel Tower in the background indicating to the audience that the film is set in a city which is typical of the action genre, this is something we could do with our trailer but with London instead. The two main characters are in the foreground with the character of Dr Watson slightly further back showing he is the sidekick in the film. Mise on scene is also used effectively as the prop of a gun shows the genre is action whilst the costume indicates the film is not set in modern day. The title stands out in silver bold font, with two of the actors names being in a slightly smaller font above the title. The release date, although smaller, is in a different coloured font which is effective in making it stand out - this is something we could do. 

The layout for the Sherlock magazine cover is similar to what we would like to do with ours, we like the idea of the film strip diagonally across the cover we think this is effective in advertising the film and the poster as it shows the film in more detail. The font is also in a different colour, it is stereotypically white or silver for action films but the title of the film is in a gold colour and this is used at the top of the cover and for certain words at the bottom as well to make them stand out. This highlights how this is the main font of the magazine cover and how when this colour is used it is for something important. In contrast on the right hand side of the cover there is a blue circle featuring a different film with pictures this stands out from the layout of the rest of the magazine and shows how its something different to Sherlock, we think this is effective and something we could use for our magazine cover. 

Film poster and magazine cover research: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

This film poster is mainly dull colours, mainly grey, despite the Batman logo which stands out as being on fire and the orange/red contrasts with the darker colours. This indicates the action genre as fire is usually a result of an explosion which is typical in action films. As our title is "Playing With Fire" we could do something like this with the maybe having the word Fire in an orangey colour with the rest in a darker colour making it stand out. In the background there is a tall building which suggests that the film is set in a city which is conventional for an action film Batman is in the foreground with the picture being a low angle shot this portrays him as intimidating, however the picture is still quite dark and it is hard to make out any detail which shows him as a mysterious character encouraging the audience to go see the film. The titles used are white font which makes them stand out against the duller background with the release date being bigger making it stand out to the audience. The Batman logo is used twice in the poster which makes it stand out, it also makes it something recognizable for the audience. 

For the cover of Empire different covers which had different cover photos were released which drew in the audience as it encouraged them to buy both covers despite the magazine being the same. This also attracts attention to the film as by having "The Ultimate Exclusive" as the header it shows the magazine as having something the audience would have never seen before. The Batman logo is in the top corner, however, unlike the poster the characters are the main focus rather than the logo. The name of the film is in large white font which makes it stand out to the audience. Along the side there is also titles about what the magazine will reveal about the film which further draws the audience in. 

Final Trailer

Changes to trailer

Due to difficulty with filming and our actors having the time to film we have had to change the storyline slightly, we have cut out some scenes and instead added more of the scenes we filmed in London and at the park. We also added some home videos of Rebecca to the beginning as we thought it would be more effective and draws the audience in. We also changed the music from typical action trailer music which is fast paced to some piano music which we found on YouTube  we thought this was more effective with the changes we made to the scenes and made it more effective.