Ancillary Task Flat Plans

This is a flat plan of both my horror poster and magazine cover, I intend to produce this.

Chosen Location Shots.

Today we went out to a few locations and took photos of some typical shots and locations which we'd like to feature in our horror trailers. We chose areas which were local as this would be more convient and easy to access whenever needs be.  

I then used my mobile phone to share the area of our main location which will feature in our horror trailer. I did this to show how close our location shots were in comparison to our school. We did this because it would be easier in case of emergency and we had to get extra kit or even film potential shots if we didn't feel as thought that particular shot was suitable.

Our Roles & Responsibilities.

To assure that everyone in the group has an equal role within the group, we decided to allocate different jobs and roles between our groups as this would give everyone a chance to focus on their role and have an equal input into what ideas they've come up.

Although we split roles to everyone in the group we decided to work together in the editing process as we think it would be more effective if everyone in the group shared their opinion on what they think looks best and as it’s a vital part of the project.

• I have taken the role of creating the storyboard and making sure the continuity is consistent throughout and also an actress.
• Amy's roles are to focus on the filming and are also in charge of the make-up and costume.
• Olivia's role is being one of the actresses within the horror trailer and I am overseeing most of the editing aspect.
• Natalie is taking charge of filming and props.

Analysis of Horror Trailers.

Before creating our final horror trailer, I decided to analysis two horror trailers which are currently on the market to give me an insight into what common conventions appear in both trailers. It will also give me an indication into what we could incorporate into our final horror trailer.


Paranormal Activity 3


'Paranormal Activity 3' Movie Trailer on Vimeo.


Within the start of the trailer it gives as an indication of what to expect. The trailer begins with a medium shot of a fuzzy effect which then cuts to a handheld shot of two children on a trampoline this shows suggests to me that these children may be the main character who will be in danger. As the trailer continues there is an immediate shot of a mysterious girl which connotes convention of a horror trailer. The trailer then cuts to a shot of the children with the a woman this gives an indication of passage of time this is a good way of showing the audience which role each character may have. 


Throughout the trailer there isn't a backing track which is constant, the non diagetic sounds only builds to a steady crescendo when someone not of the norm happens adding a sense of eerie as well as fear of the unknown another typical horror convention. Dialogue is used when the girl is laughing which adds a sense of mystery and also disturbance. One of the most shots I think is effective is when the text appears which states 'BEHIND THE ACTIVITY' I think this is a very effective text massage as it links in with the name of the film. 


As the trailer continues you hear children singing 'Bloody Mary' repeatedly, in which the screen goes dark, this gives the audience an unnerved feeling. Soon after a silhouette appears behind one of the girl. The shot then fades to show the title of the film yet again showing the fuzzy screen effect like it did at he start of the trailer.

The Horror Plot.

'Actor One' has a dream that she is being hunted down by a hooded figure. Throughout the dream there are instances where the person comes into contact with the figure. She sees herself being killed in the dream and when she wakes up the initial dream becomes reality. The dream takes up the first half of the trailer and the second half contains post dream. In the rest of the trailer, we see person one in different situations where she and the hooded figure again come into contact with one another.

Questionnaire & Research Results.

When conducting our research I made primary and secondary which involves producing research I done myself from making questionnaires and conducting interviews. Whereas secondary research involves collating information from articles and trailers where the analysis has already been completed and I would then analyse it. To make sure our research was effective we made a group questionnaire sheet to find out what our preferred audience like and dislike about horror trailers, posters and magazines. I have compiled a slideshare showing my results through pie charts.

What Makes A Good Photo?

I think this is a very effective stills photo taken from the film Insidious as it connotes a variety of different aspects in the film. First of all the dark background and lack of lighting connotes danger it also contrasts well with his pale façade, blonde hair and vulnerable exterior  implies he may be a innocent character but then this is contradicted by the chains on his legs which suggests he is in trouble.  Also the boy seems to be in a grand house as it shown through the shadows in the background.



Ancillary Task - Analysis Of Existing Products.

Analysis Of Existing Products.

Since we've chose to produce a horror film trailer, my ancillary task is to analyse existing products on the market today such as horror film trailers, film magazines and posters. By completing this it will increase my knowledge on how to make my media project successful. I’ll be comparing my end product against the current existing products and covers all of the horror conventions.

Preliminary Task - Chase Sequence.

Evaluation Of Our Chase Sequence.

Within our preliminary task, we were given a rough plot by our teacher stating we had to produce a short film based on a chase sequence. As a group we collated some ideas and finally decided we wanted a girl to be mugged for her mobile phone. Within this small project we all had our own roles and responsibilities. My role was to play apart in the chase sequence as well as deciding costume ideas and making sure that they were consistent throughout the filming process. During the filming we gained a lot more knowledge on how to use digital technology by using the camera's in a more professional way from using it on a tripod to handheld. Once the filming was complete we then edited it all together on imovie and we all had a collective input on the final outcome. lastly we then created a short group presentation expressing our thought processes as well as an evaluation of the preliminary task.

Currently On The Market.

Horror Films On The Market.

View more presentations from hnasho1

A2 Media Studies - Media Production.

Within the A2 media production we have to produce:

- Horror Trailer
- Two Ancillary Tasks
- Magazine Front Cover

- Horror Film Poster

For my year 13 practical production I will be working with Olivia Dixon, Amy Crow and Natalie Wood. Within our group we will be producing a horror film trailer with a poster and also a magazine cover. We chose to create a horror trailer as we thought it would be interesting to make and also we share a keen interest and an all-round good knowledge of the horror genre. Our intention for our trailer is to make it to a good enough standard to compete with other horror trailers/ films on the market today such as ‘Fright Night’ and ‘Paranormal Activity 2’. Our target audience will be in between the ages of 15 to 25 because that is the popular age range in which people go to view horror films.

Final Product

These are my final 3 products i produced, all the photography and content used is my own.

EVALUATION - (What have you learnt about technologies throughout the proceess? AND Looking back at the preliminary task, what have you learnt?

Prior to me designing and making my product I had to go through a few processes to make sure my product was then produced to its best ability. Firstly I firstly took my photos I didn’t take into consideration if the camera settings where set to my preference which I needed, I didn’t check this so when it came to uploading my photos onto my computer the images were so small. From this learned that when taking photos or using any sort of equipment you should always double check if the settings are correct I also had to consider the location of my model whether the lighting would of been correct and suited what I wanted for my front cover, I came to the conclusion that if I had a white background then it would of proved to be an advantage as I could have more to work with and also I could change the background colour a lot easier, while taking photos I experimented with different angles and shots for my models simply because I wanted a variety of photos to work with and pick from. More so because I was unfamiliar with Photoshop as I’d never used it in that much depth l found it hard to grasp all the tools, I found that I was having difficulties using the clone button this was because I wanted my model to have clear skin so when I was cloning certain areas of her face the shadowing was becoming apparent in which I had t try and rectify this process was very time consuming. On the other hand I grasped the way of using the brightness and contrast as well as the colour balance I contained these editing styles into my magazine as I wanted some aspects of my magazine to look brighter, tools like this are best at handy when I wanted to rectify small and minor things that ultimately improve my magazine. The technology I was exposed to was limited but i used it all to my full advantage to produce my finished product.

EVALUATION - (Who would be the audience for your media product? AND How did you attract and address your audience?)

I targeted my audience to both male and females between the ages of 16 to 25 this is because when conducting my questionnaire I found my age group resulted came out to be between these ages. The content I contained within it would have fitted for both sexes. The main people who would be purchasing this magazine would be of the working/middle class this is reflected in the pricing I have set it at. From looking at other existing magazines I found that there prices ranged from £2.00 to £3.99. I then came to the conclusion to price mine directly in the middle to £2.99  this was so that not only would it be an average price for a magazine it would then attract a larger audience. When conducting my audience research I used different form of questionnaires so that I could get larger more in-depth answers. As well as that I found that my style models go against the simplicity of my model as often stereotypical indie-rock magazine usually have very attention seeking front cover made eminent with a model who is either wearing bright clothing/ make – up. I went against the stereotypical conventions of my style models as I wanted to experiment with something more simplistic. I chose to have the artist in the feature article to show she had a hard up bringing which then some audiences may of related to her story which would ultimately appeal to the lower class. As you can see in my all of my products the model is wearing stereotypically 'girly' clothing, she represents the new era of indie-rock. Te fact that she is wearing something that isn't really considered femine makes her seem a bit more masculine. When putting the aspect of the post modern society I think that feminity has decreased over the years as more men and women can express themselves through what they wear. Even though nowadays the indie rock scene is still heavily dominated my men, women are beginning to rise to fame and move up the hierarchy as more and more females are contracted 
more solo and band deals.


Closed questionnaire results

EVALUATION - (What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?)

I think that The Bauer Medal Group would distribute my magazine very successfully as it stereotypically falls into the type of genre my magazine which is a mixture between indie and rock. As well as that Kerrang is featured which was the magazine I had included in my style models I had collected. The Bauer is the largest published group commonly known for distributing magazines like Q and other numerous publications. This is why my magazine would benefit from distribution fro this private company because of its eminent success as it would reach out to a lot more countries. My magazine mainly focuses on a small specific section of the indie rock music industry this means that it would appeal to a very particular audience. This could ultimately bring more profit to the magazine as there would be a guaranteed audience. 

EVALUATION - (How does your media product represent particular social groups?)

I have targeted my audience to both male and females who were aged between 16 and 25 this was because I had initially based my questionnaire to people of that age range who are more likely to buy magazines. I looked at a number of existing magazines out there and  also found that there pricings ranged from £2 - £3.99 I decided to price mine at £2.99 this is because it is directly in the middle meaning that this could give my magazine an advantage price wise as it would catch more buyers. More so while evaluating my audience research I found that many people had different preferences and opinions which I had to take into account. Prior to the voice recording I simply asked the students what they thought of my magazine products.

EVALUATION - (In what ways does your media product use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?)

My magazine challenges forms which date back to the 1960s where feminism was widely acclaimed. I have made sure that my magazine does not conform to the stereotypical views the feminists had in the 60’s. Famous feminist Naomi Wolf had strong view like women were looked down on and seen as sex objects. In the 21^st century our society is mostly post feminist which then gave the media a chance to then bow to its full potential. For example a typical r’n’b artist who is featured on the front of a magazine the images stereotypically show the men as the alpha male and the women as more inferior. Whereas with an indie/rock based the men tend to be more dominant but its subtle giving the males and females similar and equal. More so the post feminist society nowadays suggests that more women and men use what they have to gain more advertisement and fame. The front cover of my magazine shows a large image of a female showing that I have stuck to the image where females and males are equally dominant characters. There fore my magazine is aimed at both males and females due to the contents featured within it.

Progression Of My Product...

Front Cover

Contents

Double Page

My Photography.

This is a small animated GIF presentation showing what i think is some of my best photography which are unedited. I will feature some of them in my final products.


Make avatar

Flat Plan Design.

I am aiming for my front cover to be more or less layout like this. I planned this so that I would have a clear referral which I could go back to and see if my magazine resembled my flat plan design. The layout I’ve chosen looks quite simple in the sense that everything has been put in a specific area which will grab reader’s attention. I also want a large medium shot image of my mode across my cover this is because this type of shot can quickly engage an audience as well as that the sub stories/headings that will be surrounding it will overlap some parts of the image giving it a cooler and edgier tone. I’m still pondering between overlapping my large image over my magazine title as I’m not sure if it will fit in with my magazine. This type of overlapping is called cover line which are commonly used by magazine to make them look a bit edgier.

Target Audience.

I’d assume someone who bought my type of magazine would be very individual but many people nowadays peoples dress sense are often reflected by what they’ve seen in magazines.

                                                                  

My Character Profile:

This is my stereotypical interpretation of what sort of person would by this magazine:

They’d attend a lot of gigs.

There favourite genre of music would be contained within the magazine.

Have a fair few of tattoos and piercings.

They would wear plimsoles/ converse/vans, band named t shirts, check shirts, leggings, denim skinny jeans or chinos.

There style is often influenced by band members like 'Arctic Monkeys' and 'The Pretty Reckless'. 

They will also have a lot of abstract jewellery.

Rival Magazines.

My two rival magazines would be NME magazine and also Kerrang this is because they fit into the genre of music my artist will be based upon and also my target audience.

I chose those as a front cover as I liked the colour scheme as well as the layout. The colour scheme in the background complemented her eye make-up which draws the readers attention, as well as that I liked the way the model fills the left hand side of the magazine cover which leaves the right hand side for the text. There is a minimal amount of texts which shows the reader the main storied within the magazine.

I chose magazine front cover fro Kerrang! I liked the overall design of this front cover because it breaks all the stereotypical ordered layout of a front cover. When I looked at this magazine the first thing I noticed was the font in front of the band it grabs your attention as it isn’t the regular font. I also liked the way most of the artists in each photo are dressing in black which draws the reader away from them which makes you read the font surrounding it. I found that this front cover had an overall good feel and was out going.



Music Questionnaire.

Music Questionnaire

   1. Are male or female? Please tick.

Male [  ] Female [  ]

2. How old are you?

____________________

3. How often do you purchase a magazine on a weekly basis? Please tick.

Once a Week [  ] Twice a Week [  ] More than three [  ]

4. Which music magazine do you buy? Please tick one or more.

Kerrang [  ]

NME [  ]

Q [  ]

Mojo [  ]

      Other :( please state)        ____________________________________________

     

    5. What music genre best describes you? Tick one or more.

Pop [  ]

Indie [  ]

Rock [  ]

Drum & Bass [  ]

RnB [  ]

Rap [  ]

Dubstep [  ]

Other: (please state) ___________________________________________________

6. What would you consider the best feature within a magazine? Please tick.

Celeb Interviews [  ]

Gig reviews [  ]

New Music [  ]

Feature Articles [  ]

Photo shoots [  ]

7. What are the two features of a front cover magazine that attracts you the most? Please tick.

The overall front cover [  ]

Celebrity featuring [  ]

Colour scheme [  ]

Price [  ]

Related features [  ]

      Who is in it [  ]

8. What are you three favourite artists at the moment?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

9. What would you like to see on a front of a music magazine cover? Please circle.

The Artist/ Celebrity [  ]

Prize Draws [  ]

Gig Photos [  ]

Photo shoots [  ]

Feature article information [  ]

Conducting a questionnaire is very important when deciding which target audience would ultimately prefer to purchase your magazine. By then you can get a variety of different feedback from others which would be at an advantage as then that would ensure that your magazine has buyers. I conducted a questionnaire to a variety of pupils and adults; aged between the ages of 16 to 25.

What have I learned?

While designing and making my magazine cover, I have learned a variety of different skills and conventions of a magazine. I have a significant more understanding of using Photoshop, as I feel more confident and at ease while using Photoshop. I also learned that different photos can portray different emotions and messages. More so I have learnt a variety of different editing skills which will facilitate when it comes to making and designing my final AS product.

Layout Decisions.

When considering what layout to choose, I have learned that being meticulous is the best approach to have when picking, this is because if you don’t your chose may not be the correct and in the long run it wont go with whatever else you any have within this. My magazines target audience will be based on the stereotypical teenage ages varying from 13 to 16. To achieve this I will compare a variety of magazine which is suitable to the style I want to achieve and check if any ideas may be similar or different to what I have in mind. The principles I have learned and gained from this exercise is you do have to be very particular and focused because if not this could then end up ruining the end product. More so this then links in with a particular section of my coursework where i had to design a magazine front cover which had to cover a certain criteria.

Bad Photography.

This is what I considered as a bad photograph, even though it fitted the criteria of having the model in a medium close up, as well as that the photo as taken evenly and looks proportioned each side. The background is too busy which will automatically draw the reader towards the it more so the downside to this photo is that the lighting could have been chosen at a better stage as the photograph looks a bit dull and dark.

Good Photography.

Good Photography

This is an example of a photo I thought wasn’t as suitable when it became to looking through the variety of photos that were taken. This was firstly because it wasn’t a medium close up meaning that it wouldn’t of fitted the criteria of what was initially needed. I also noticed that the model wasn’t equally proportioned within the photo as she seemed to be more to the left making the photo seem very uneven and busy. More so I found that the background colours looked to bust and clashed with what was worn by the model.

Photography

I took photographs which would feature in the school magazine. I found areas within the school grounds which thought would suitable to show different locations in the school. I took a variety of photos making sure that i would have a wide variety to put on both my front cover and contents page.

Final School Magazine

This is my final School magazine front cover. I used main colours worn by the models so I could replicate this into my front cover. I made the whole front cover very simplistic and not to busy this is so that the audience don’t feel as though they are being over loaded with images and also text. This is then my final contents page, again I kept the three main colours straight onto the contents I did this because I wanted to show a sense of consistency throughout the magazine.

Preliminary Project School Magazine

As a part of my media studies project we were assigned to design and make a school magazine cover. There were a variety of conventions of a school magazine we looked at

Conventions of a front cover were:

-Title

- Sub-headings

- Large Image

- Colour Scheme

- Layout

- Date/Price/Barcode/Website

Conventions of contents were:

- Subheading

- Images

- Page Numbers

- Colour Scheme