Dear Examiner, Over the course of this school year I have been working tirelessly on my Media Studies coursework in the hope of receiving a high grade. I have learnt a lot from the process of making my products and presenting them in an aesthetically pleasing way. I hope you enjoy navigating my blog as much as I have enjoyed working on it.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE FEEDBACK?
I used a projector in an auditorium to exhibit my final product and invited my peers and teachers to sit in on the viewing. Following the screening of my film trailer I held a 5 minute Q&A where the audience posed some questions to me about the production.
I also handed out some of my own questions to the audience to fill out after watching my product. By carrying out the Q&A and the reflection sheets I handed out, I wanted to gauge how interested the audience were and I received various positives and negatives to think about. Below is an example of one of the feedback question sheets.
I learned from all the feedback, including the example above, that the narrative needed to be amended or developed in order to make the production easier to understand for the audience. Some of my peers said that there was too much of the struggle and not enough of him actually gaining success or at least a hint of this success. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Most enjoyed the pacing of my trailer however some felt that the song "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap didn't sound perfect with the visuals. I decided to make a change to the soundtrack and listen to this feedback. I implemented the song "Dwell" by Tony Anderson to add a suspenseful build up and the lack of vocals in this song meant that dialogue had greater clarity. It turned out to be a successful decision and it worked effectively with the peaks and troughs of the pacing of my production.
My film was shot during the winter season and I tried to reflect the bleakness of the outside weather with a simplicity of clothing from the main protagonist. Some of the audience, however, believed that the use of more locations would have added another layer to my production. I agree with this comment but looking at the film trailer for Friday Night Lights (2004) the general convention of such film trailers is the location serves the narrative rather than the narrative serving the location. In my film trailer I tried to focus on the narrative and the journey that the athlete goes down and the five locations seen so far are intended to serve this without swamping it. I feel that the locations I have so far chosen reflect the gritty realism that I want to portray in this film. In responding to what I received in the feedback I am going to show more scenes to appease the audience as well maintain my belief that location is not the dominant feature in such film trailers.
Following the general feedback that my narrative was not clear enough I decided to greater develop the disequilibrium stage in my trailer. By filming my main protagonist in a situation where he is taking drugs and drinking alcohol I am showing more of what is conflicting and antagonising against his dream. It also makes the narrative clearer for the audience and perhaps my production more dramatic and interesting. Below you can watch a Q&A that I held after the first screening of my film trailer in the auditorium.
The first institution that may exhibit my product or distribute information on my film is the magazine and website of Rugby World. It was established in 1960 and is now the best-selling rugby magazine available. Through its digital platform and its tangible magazine, rugby from all around the world is covered and reported on with pictures, videos, blogs and forums just some examples of what is encompassed by the successful institution.
My film poster could be advertised within the magazine and gain sufficient publicity along with my film trailer being shared on their website and online. Because my film trailer purely revolves around rugby this institution is more likely to help generate awareness, especially over any other sporting film. As one can see from the picture above, they also operate on social networking sites meaning they can share my film trailer to a wider audience and maximise the potential views of my product.
I believe institutions like YouTube and Vimeo would also distribute films similar to mine as they are platforms that focus on a wide range of subjects and categories with a huge audience. Despite these sites purely focusing on rugby (such is the niche audience a rugby production brings), they are still home to film trailers from Hollywood all the way through to low budget trailers like mine. This is because it is free and there is such a mass audience that you can draw in if your production is of a certain quality.
So what I first did was increased the brightness of my face and the ball by using exposure and curves meaning I didn't light up the whole image but just the areas of the face I wanted to lighten up as well as the ball.
I found the font I wanted to use on Dafont.com where there are thousands of different types of fonts available at a click of a button and I chose the Couture font as it was bold and conventional to a sporting film poster like that seen in the Rocky film poster (seen Below) but it was still unique to my poster.
I wanted to create a simple enough film poster whilst it still looking professional and aesthetically pleasing to potential viewers of my film trailer. Here the final image is seen below:
One of my ancillary tasks for my coursework this year was to create a film poster for my film trailer. I had an idea of what I wanted it to look like and the sketch as well as the lighting diagram of how I would make it look better can be seen below:
One of my close friends knew a place with a photography room and I managed to use it for 2 hours allowing me sufficient time to maximise the outcome of the photos. Within these two hours I managed to take many photos on my friend's Nikon D5300.
Before the shoot I made it clear that I wanted my face and the ball to be lit up by the lights, with little other light in the background. This would emphasise the main protagonist and a rugby ball, which is a symbol of his dream. The darkness in between his face and the ball as well as behind, leaves space for the Title which is now called 'My Everest' and any other pieces of text that need to added.
Unfortunately some of the shots were lost but there is luckily one with fantastic lighting that will be used in my film poster, Below are some of the recovered shots as well as the chosen picture being at the very bottom.
I folded up a piece of A3 card to replicate a funnel and make the light shine more on my face as well as the ball but I had to make sure I didn't leave the card on around the lamp for too long as it could have burned. I'm very happy with the outcome and I will edit the photo to make it a little brighter as well as form a the film poster from it by using Adobe Photoshop and websites like Dafont.com to help me with the font I want to use for my title and credits etc.
A story arc aims to to portray a simple step by step set of occurrences that take place in a production such as a film trailer. I think a story arc links very well to Todorov's theory of equilibrium. Todorov's theory can be explained below:
Brief overview of Todorov's theory:
Equilibrium:(sets the scene)
Everyday Life
Disruption:(complication)
Something happens to alter the equilibrium
Conflict:(climax)
Trying to solve the problem (seek resolution)
Resolution:
Problem is resolved
New Equilibrium:(satisfactory end)
Back to normal (but never the same)- a new normal
This particular theory is easily shown by a story arc and my production follow's a narrative and showing the stages of my production on a story arc can be done. In my sequence, there is an evident equilibrium where the main protagonist gains captaincy of the team and lives a normal life, there is recognition of the disruption as he is stripped of captaincy whilst having relationship problems in his family and his girlfriend. There is a new equilibrium suggested towards the end of the trailer as it is hinted that he achieves his dreams in rugby.
For my Film Trailer I have decided to use Tony Anderson's song "Dwell" as its cinematic and inspirational connotations fit with what I envisioned for my production. I had previously used the song "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap but the vocals in the song didn't work that well in conjunction with the dialogue heard in my production. The steady but powerful build up allows me to use only this song for my film trailer as I had originally planned to use 2 or 3 to make sure certain soundtracks didn't look out of place. It may have looked un-professional if I had used more than one soundtrack and it would have been a hard task to achieve and engage and satisfy the audience for my product. Lastly, I am a big fan of Tony Anderson and his cinematic styles. His songs have been previously used to compliment aesthetically pleasing visuals and I was keen to see if I could implement his music into my media product, something I am passionate about. Listen to it below:
Jungle- Busy Earnin' is an idea for one of the soundtracks that could be heard in my film trailer and I envision a song like this to go with the training shots at around the midway point of my production. It is a passionate song and I believe it has inspirational and epic connotations. Jungle are an upcoming band who released an album in 2014 and it received praise from critics. Busy Earnin' was the most successful song off that album and reached a peak of #19 on the music charts. They are not an unknown band anymore and this may help me to interest a wider audience who like the song and as a result will continue to watch my film trailer to the end The next idea is the song 'Till I Collapse' by Eminem and this has darker connotations to the song above. This song provides me with another avenue to go down and whether I really want to emphasise the struggle in the narrative or more of an inspirational narrative. As it is a film trailer, I am going to have numerous soundtracks that will compliment the different moods of my trailer. This song has lyrics that suggest a performer's feelings before an event.
After hearing 'Sweet Disposition' I had a strong idea that it was going to feature in my production and I thought that it synchronised well with the production however after deliberation and feedback from my peers I decided to look again. It is quite inspirational and this is the main feature I was looking for from a potential song. One thing that this song didn't have was much of a build up and I managed to find this build up elsewhere.
I am producing a magazine cover that is unique and specific enough for the lighter mood I wanted to portray in contrast to the darker tone of my film poster. The name of the magazine is 'Sporting World Now' and I used this title as I want to appeal to a mass sporting audience. I took inspiration from the real magazine 'Rugby World' but I felt the size of my potential audience could be maximised distributing to as large as possible sporting demographic.
Typically film posters will differ from magazine covers as they provide another angle for viewers. one of the ways in which they do this is by offering a 'behind the scenes' perspective. Often for films with posters that deliberately try to create a sense of mystery. The consequence is that a different group of people are appealed. some people might not be interested in the mystery film posters and my lighter magazine cover appeals to a wider audience.
This post will show the developments that I made using Adobe Photoshop and explain the thinking behind the different features of my magazine cover.
This was a draft in the initial stages of my magazine cover production and I thought it was a good image as it showed his isolation and was also mysterious as you couldn't see his face.
However, after feedback from my peers and my own further research into sporting magazine covers it became clear that the central image was typically a close up of a single sporting star and in some cases the main protagonist of a film. I kept the title font the same but changed the image to follow the generic convention of the main protagonist being the key focus of the cover.
As you can see above, this is the image I chose. This was because it looked more professional and realistic to magazine covers in general but principally sport and film. For example, Rugby World and Empire magazines. As seen above the character's head is superimposed over the masthead. This is conventional for magazine covers where the focus is on the individual. Danny Care, England rugby player, is seen below in the Rugby World magazine striking a similar strong and pensive pose.
I used the magic wand tool to remove the bland background of the picture. This allowed me to deploy a more sharply contrasting background. This gave the individual emphasis, and the cover a greater sense of depth.
I researched a possible background image and experimented with the filter effects available on Adobe Photoshop. I wanted the background to be a stadium as it represents the nature of his dream in the film and doesn't significantly draw focus away from the individual. I used the 'glass' blurring effect on Photoshop to further contrast the resolution between the two images.
I then added the blurred stadium behind the key figure and the title, which I also enlarged and modified to make it look crisper and more professional. The space around the central image means I can add certain features to make the cover realistic and smarter and the white t-shirt allows me to be able to put text over him.
I believe that the white of his shirt contrasts well with the golden colour of the title and the size of the central image and the colour of the title draw the attention of the audience. The title is bold and unique to me and appeals to not just an audience of rugby fans but those interested in sport in general.
Puns and short questions are characteristic of magazine covers for popular interests. I implemented these features in the single phrase 'Is Alex March on the ascent this year?'. I also added a barcode and price at the bottom of the page as this is in line with the convention. 'Our top 10 sports' also offers the opinion of the magazine and readers may feel they can relate or learn from these opinions and want to look inside. I added a 'special edition' tag at the bottom to increase the appeal to the audience and the 'also inside' feature is utilised on my cover to offer content to the mass sporting audience. The co-star in my film trailer also has an exclusive interview, seen below the 'Exclusive!' on my cover and this appeals more effectively to a female audience as she is representing them in a sporting production and detracting the perceptions that sport, and rugby in particular is male dominated. This is still a work in progress but I believe I have a strong cover to develop on and I am happy with how it is turning out. I have learnt a lot through my research of magazines and this has very much helped the production of my own product. I will take feedback on board and make any changes where I see fit.
For one of my ancillary tasks this year I have to produce a front cover for a magazine. I have taken a shot that will be the main picture on my cover and it will also feature in my final film trailer production.
Once I start using PhotoShop I will discover the font that I will be using as well as the colour choice and the comments that will be put in the bubbles.
The style of my Magazine has taken inspiration from the Rugby World magazine and the main photo will be emphasised to
The main draw of the magazine will be the centre page spread which will be an article on my film as well an exclusive interview or pictures from the production.
Puffs and buzz word's like 'Exclusive' are used to attract the audience's attention and this appeals to them and influence them to read the magazine.
MAIN PROTAGONIST (TOM) -PLAYED BY MYSELF (ALEX MARCH)
Tom is a young athlete who is striving to achieve his dreams and aspirations whilst tackling the obstacles that he faces during this gruelling journey. He will encounter the trials and tribulations of a struggling young prospect whilst escaping the lures of teenage life.
The trailer suggests that he will he be dragged down by the weight of expectations on his young fragile shoulders but he will come out on top and prove the doubters wrong.
GIRLFRIEND- KATE- PLAYED BY ABIGAIL LAWRIE
Kate is the girlfriend of Tom and proves to be yet another distraction throughout the production. As these obstacles for Tom accumulate, she becomes increasingly frustrated with his attitude towards her and towards his everyday life. The health of their relationship is shown to falter during the film trailer but it is unclear whether they remain together and if Tom shows her more attention. Abigail's prior experience of acting made it an easy decision to approach her about being in my production and I'm sure she will fulfil the role very well. COACH- PLAYED BY MR LYDON
Mr Lydon has been a key part of Tom's journey throughout his teenage life. He has provided inspiration but also pushed him hard in order to reach his potential. He makes Tom captain of the team but his relationship with him disintegrates as a result of Tom's behaviour outside of rugby.
MOTHER OF TOM- PLAYED BY CAMILLA MARCH
His parents pressurise him to succeed in school and are not convinced that his rugby dreams can materialise. This leads to family issues and conflicts that are not resolved and the audience doesn't know whether his relationship with his mother is resolved.
Following this case study on the development of the web which I produced with a colleague, I received a tweet from the person (David Gauntlett) who I thought created the term 'prosumer'.
He believed that it was a 'silly' word and stated that he wasn't the creator of the word 'prosumer' which was surprising to hear. He felt so strongly about it that he posted an article on his website with our video as his inspiration.
Here are some rushes from my first shoot for my film trailer. I am happy with the outcome and I made sure that I got a wide variety of shots so when I begin to start the editing stage there will be a range of shots that will suit and complement the other shots that I will have. Post-production editing will be key for some of these shots as they are too bright for what I had envisioned them to look like: which was darker and moody displaying the tough and gritty nature of training and how it can be a gruelling process to make it to the top. I showed these shots to a few classmates and they agreed that I should continue with this style of filming.
This is a sketched lighting diagram for my film poster. The sketch allowed me to plan how I would achieve it in a certain time frame preventing me from spending too long or too little. The film poster is an ancillary task for my film trailer and more posts will follow showing the outcome of this shoot of the film poster and how the pictures came out.
For the first question you can see that 6 out of the 8 people who answered my survey are males. This is more helpful to me as a inspirational sporting film has an audience of predominantly males and a minority of female viewers.
For the second question most of the responses were from the teenage and young adult demographic. As my film is targeting this particular type of audience I felt their responses would be most helpful to me.
For the third question I got a mix of responses of what film trailer's they preferred. I was disappointed to see that there were no choices for sport as this is what my trailer revolves around. What it does encourage me to do is to incorporate other genres into my production as sub-genres to sport in order to reach out to wider demographics.
What you can see from this response is that my target audience all watch film trailers and more importantly, watch them regularly. This means that there is more chance they will branch out to different genre trailers and as a trailer is short, hopefully take the time to watch my production.
The dominant response in this question is that they prefer film trailers to last for 2-3 minutes. This is helpful as my production will be in between 2 and 3 minutes and no longer. The benefit of having a shorter trailer is that the consumers are more likely to take a couple of minutes out of their lives instead of 5 minutes where they may lose interest or be put off by the length.
The dominant response in this question was 'Narrative' and this tells me that I need to focus more on my storyline to satisfy these consumers. I was previously relying a bit much on the camerawork and music to gage most of the interest.
In my final question I wanted to know where my audience watches film trailers and unsurprisingly it is YouTube, this is helpful as I can easily upload my content to YouTube. The 'other' answer was the site Vimeo and this is another site I can upload on. Vimeo is more suited to upcoming and low budget content which is ideal for me and my trailer.
I decided to conduct a survey in order to find out more about my target audience and how they feel about film trailers, what attracts them and what they dislike about them. Below is the link if you decide you want to fill it out.
I used the website SurveyMonkey.com to create the survey and it allowed me create specific questions and answers relevant to what I need to know from my target audience.
The good aspect of my production is how I can make it very realistic to a common inspirational sport film through the use of locations. Most of the films I take inspiration from include: The Fighter, Warrior and Rocky. They all feature mundane locations that I can follow effectively as I don't have the budget or opportunity to shoot in exotic locations.
Location 1: Northala Hills
Northala hills will be one of the locations and here I can take some good shots of Tom training and running up the hills. The hills also have a subliminal message of going from the bottom to the top and I took inspiration from a scene in Rocky where he trains by running up lots of stairs.
Location 2: Chiswick House Grounds
These grounds provide a change of scenery and there's a woodland scenery with areas that I can film around that would be aesthetically pleasing for my audience.
Location 3: W6 Gym
My local gym has a restricted environment where I will be able to film close up shots of Tom training which will hopefully exaggerate the tough and uncomfortable conditions. I want to give off the idea of working through a struggle in order to make it to the top.
