Photoshop Practice

Last year in AS media, I had to produce a magazine front cover, contents page, and double page spread, before doing this I had some Photoshop practice by creating a poster for The Simpsons Movie, this mainly taught me about layering and positioning using Photoshop, this will be helpful for my A2 media product as I will have better knowledge of positioning and layering for my Film Poster, and Magazine front cover.
My AS 'The Simpsons Movie' film poster:

I then did some further Photoshop practice before creating my final product, in order to gain further experience on other techniques such as spot healing, liquidify, brightness and contrast changing, filter tools, text tools and blur tools.
This meant that when it came down to creating my final product Photoshop was much easier to use and my tasks could be done allot quicker and without as many mistakes. Creating my final products have also helped me develop my Photoshop skills even further and so making it easier for when I create the ancillary tasks for my A2 coursework.
My AS final work:

The Recce

Are there any potential hazards that could pose as a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place?
My photo shoot will take place in the green room at Sunderland University and therefore these hazards will most likely have been thought of by the university and so there should be minimal risks to consider when using this room, however there may potentially be cables and wires from the equipment in the room.

Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome on the photos?
The time of day/weather will not affect my photos as they are being taken indoors, which means that weather will not be an issue, and lighting will be provided.

Have you considered the background to your photos?
The background to my photos when taken will most likely be plain which is what I need as I plan to have a black/dark background with only the character on the post in the light, which should be easily editable on Photoshop when the picture has a plain background to start with.

Have you considered lighting?
It should be possible to play around with the lighting in the Universities green room, in order to allow for there to be lighting cast mainly on the character of the poster/magazine cover.

Do you need permission/to book a time to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?
I did need permission and had to book a time for taking my photos, this will take place on Thursday 1st December, in the Green room at Sunderland University between 13:00 and 15:00.

Are you reliant on lists/props/friends/?
I am using one friend for my poster and magazine front cover, who will also be using the green room at the same time as me, which means I know she will definitely be there. I am not reliant on any props at this point in production. I will be getting the metro to the University which means I do not need to rely on anybody for a lift.

Questionnaire

As a part of my research and planning towards my product, I have created a questionnaire that will collect quantitative data to find out what my target audience most like to see in a horror film, what attracts them to a horror film and also to find out in more detail who my target audience will be, by looking at whether people of different age groups/ genders actually like to watch horror films and who would be more likely to go and see a new release at the cinema.
Here is a sample of my questionnaire:

1.       Are you Male or Female?

                  Male

Female

        2. What age are you?

·         15

·         15-18

·         18-30

·         30-50

·         50+

     3.  How often do you watch films?

·         Never

·         Monthly

·         Weekly

·         Daily

·         More than once a day

       5.       Do you like horror films?

·         Yes

·         No

      6.       What most attracts you into going to see a new film?

·         The genre

·         The actors/actresses

·         The director

·         The plot/story line

     8.       Which of the below are you most scared by when watching a horror film?

·         Ghosts

·         Aliens

·         Murderers

·         Masked Killers

·         Children

·         Clowns

      10. What is it about horror films that appeals to you?

·         Action

·         Suspense

·         The shock factor

·         Characters

·         Story Line

·         Sound effects

    12.   What type of horror film do you prefer?

·         Supernatural (Paranormal activity, the fourth kind, The Ring etc.)

·         Slasher (The strangers, Prom night, Scream etc.)

·         Gory (Saw, Wrong turn, Final Destination etc.) 

Institution Research

Becuase my product can contain no downloaded images I will have to create my own production company and film institution, these will need background information, and a logo to represent the company. The logo tends to be shown at the start of the trailer for the film, and also at the bottom of the poster aswell as the company name in the credit block of the film poster.

To find out about these different film institutions and production companies, I have done some research into some existing successful companies to find out which would be most relatable to my genre, and then I will be able to decide on some information for my companies. As my film is a British film, the production company and film institution will also have to be British.

British Production Companies:

 

Working Title Research:

Working Title is a British Film production company, which is based in London. The company was founded by Time Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. Working title has produced a range of successful British films such as 'Jonny English', 'Shaun of the Dead', and 'Love Actually'. The company is primarily funded by Universal Studios which is an American company that also produces a range of massivley successful films. This means that Working title has the funding to be able to advertise on TV, billboards and magazines etc, and will therefore attract a wider audience and make a larger profit in order to pay off investors, actors, and the general production of the film, it will also in some cases be the money towards a sequal of the film.

Warp X Research:

Warp X is a pioneering new digital film studio based in Sheffield, with offices in Nottingham and London, and is allied to Warp Films and Warp Records. Warp X has produced a much smaller range of films compared to Working Title, however they have had some successful releases such as the critically acclaimed 'This is England' and 'Donkey Punch'. Warp X has to find its own funding as they want to remain completley British and therfore do not have any funding from larger American companies, therefore they have to find investors each time they want to produce a film, in order to be able to fund it, and therefore most of their films go straight to DVD release as they do not have the money to spend on TV advertising etc. 

How does this relate to my product?
In the real world this would be a good company to produce my product as it has the money to spend on the film in order to get the affects, settings, props and advertising needed. Working Title has also already had some successful horror films such as 'My Little Eye' and 'Long Time Dead'.

feminist theory

In todays lesson I have looked into feminist theory, this could be relatable to my product as it is a horror film trailer which normally tend to include stereotypical pretty girls who are quite stupid, vulnerable, blonde, and wearing little clothing, these can be seen in films such as 'Scream', 'Sorority row' and 'Wrong turn'. This could be a feature that I use in my film as the main character is female.

 

'Sorority Row (2008)'

'Wrong Turn 2 (2007)'

'Scream (1996)'

However it could be taken in the oppisite dicrection if the girl ends up being the hero in the film as this shows the girl has power and therefore has overcome the sexist stereotypical female connotations, which would more likely be what I would choose to use in my film as the female is the main character and therefore will have a large role where she has to save herself.

The most common feminist theories are the radical feminists, the liberal feminists, and the marxist feminists:

some other feminist thoeries include; first wave feminism, queer theory, post modern feminism, second wave feminism, third wave feminism, and post feminism.

Britget Jones' Diary (2001) was a British film that challenged the stereotypical female by using a blonde who was independent and making a living for herself, she was also single. The activities that we see Bridget take part in through the film, invlolve going out with friends and drinking which shows they have not used the typical conventions of a female character, however some things that might be seen as sexist from a feminists point of view are still present in this film, for example although she has an office job the managers and higher up collegues are set as male characters in the film, she is also still seen as a sexual object through the clothing that she wears and how the male characters flirt with her throughout the film.

Flat plans and rational

In order to get some inspiration and ideas towards my ancillary tasks, including a film poster and magazine front cover featuring the film, I have created a flat plan for each other these. This has allowed me to look at the conventions that I will have to use for my products and use trial and error to see what will and what wont look good for these and make them relatable to the genre of my film.

The first flat plan that I have produced is for my film poster:

Rational

As I have chosen a horror genre for my film I have created a flat plan for the poster of the movie, the colour scheme that I have chosen for this poster is black, white, and red because this fits in with horror genre of the film, the black and white will make the poster look dark and gloomy which automatically lets the reader see that the film will be scary, and will also be a good affect to set it aside from the rest of the text on the page, and the red is used because it contrasts with the background and also fits in with the theme of horror.

I have chosen to put the cast names along the top so that they are noticeable because the cast are a huge part of the film development and often people will go to see a film just because of who is in it. However the names will not be too overpowering on the page so that there is still room for everything else and so they are not distracting against the image.  

The image will again be the background for the poster as it is one of the two most important parts of the poster and will draw people into the poster and be one of the main deciders as to whether people want to see the movie. So far the ideas that I have for the image include a dark background with a main character from the film that stands out against this background who will be screaming.

The film title will be near the bottom of the page in a large font that stretches from left to right, I have chosen to put this here because it means the picture can be the main attraction on the poster and will not be covered by any text, however the title will still be easily seen and noticeable.  The slogan for the film will be underneath the film title in the font ‘thriller’ in red, which is a font that looks like it is written in blood which adds to the effect of the poster and again shows the reader automatically what the genre of the movie will be.

The second flat plan that i have produced is for an entertainment magazine front cover that features my film:

Rational

For my media coursework I have decided to make a trailer for a film, the genre of my film is going to be horror. The first flat plan I have made is for a magazine front cover featuring the film. The colour scheme that I have used is black and white for the pictures and then red and black text, I have used these colours because they contrast each other and therefor are clear to read and catch the audiences eye, another reason for the colour scheme is that the dark colours represent darkness and the red represents blood which fits in with the horror theme.

The masthead of the magazine is in a large, bold font that is easy to read, it is in the top of the page so that it is the first thing that the reader will see which is important for the magazine so that the reader can recognise which magazine they are reading, which is important for both regular readers of the magazine and new readers.

The picture will be the background for the magazine front cover so that it also stands out as this is another main thing that the reader will look at, and will determine if the reader wants to purchase it. The image will be in black and white so that it looks dark and gloomy rather than colourful, which could be the effect that I would get if I used a colour picture, however I may try to use just a dark picture that is still in colour however this will be decided when the photos are being taken after I try some different lighting techniques.

The subheading for the film will be in big black text that will be slightly larger than the rest of the sub headings on the magazine cover, as it is the featured article and therefor is the sub-heading that the reader should see first. I have chosen to use a red font that is different to the rest of the fonts and is more relatable to the theme of horror, however it may look too much if the full subheading was in that font also, and so having a different font will make the actual film title stand out and so the reader will know automatically which movie is featured enticing their interest in this film.



Setting

The setting of a horror film has to reflect on the mood of the film, and this is done using areas that are generally abandoned, dark, and gloomy for example

• the woods
• a farm 
• an abandoned country road
• late night on a quite motor way 
• in an old fashioned house 
• at a lake 
• in a barn 
• in a warehouse 
• in an abandoned hospital 
• in a field 

however a good way to make a horror movie more shocking but realistic for the audience is to set it somewhere that would not usually be associated with horror for example 

• at a regular house 
• at a party 
• in a carnival 

Semiotics

In class time we did some research on semiotics which are important to know about when creating a product that is going into the media, as I have to get the audience of my trailer to believe it as being natural and real.

Signs are anything that can be used to lie, the treachery of images refers to how the sign or image of something is not the thing itself, but because we live in a world that is dominated by the media we see signs and images almost all of the time which leads us to just believe that they are reality.

How does this relate to my product?
Semiotics could be used in relation to my product by making the audience believe what they are seeing rather than seeing it as a constructed product. The horror genre, which I have chosen for my product, often has to use semiotics in order to make the super natural and unbelievable into the believable, for example semiotics are used to show who is the victim in the film, by signs that make the actor appear afraid. It is also used to make the audience believe that something such as a actor covered in fake blood and not moving, is a real person who has been murdered. 

This painting by René Magritte is of a pipe, however what he is trying to say is that, this is not a pipe it is a painting of pipe, and what can also be said now is that this is not a painting of a pipe, it is a picture of painting of a pipe. 

The same applies to this image, as real as it might look, this is not a cow, it is a picture of a cow, however we are led to believe that it is just a cow because we are so revolved in images and signs. 

Another way in which images lead us to believe something that is not real is through using signs on things such as adverts and posters, for example this picture is not happiness, and these models have most likely never met in their lives however we are led to believe that they are a happily married couple because of many signs used., for example; they are hugging, smiling, laughing, close together, touching, wearing a wedding ring, and at a marriage-able age. 

Semiotics is explained through signifier, and signified, the signifier is what sign/image has been used and the signified is what the audience interoperates from it. 

Music Inspiration

Because my story line idea revolves around a girl who is finding out secrets about her past and is trying to solve the mystery I need music that will fit in with this, however will still fit in with the horror theme and make the audience feel uneasy, this song incorporates both of these aspects and so is something that I am looking to include somewhere in my trailer, but only the first 20 seconds up until the word 'dead'. 

Storyline/Trailer Inspiration

The unborn is one of the trailers that has acted as inspiration towards my new idea, this shows a girl who is discovering things about her past that she never knew, which is something that happens in my product, it also shows her looking at old videos that she finds which is also a concept that I will be using however the videos that I will be using are the way that she find out about her past and so will be used in different ways to the Unborn however this still gave me inspiration towards some of my ideas. 

Change

After thinking over my idea of a slasher horror I have decided to change the idea, as I feel that because slasher films with a masked murderer have already been done so many times that my idea could end up looking unoriginal. However my new idea is still going to be in the horror genre, with more of a thriller twist to it and so the research and planning that I have currently done will still be relevant towards my trailer, but I will have to find some new inspirational texts to look at for ideas.

Research Questions

1. The conventions that I plan to keep for my text are circled around a horror theme, and therefore the images, text, taglines and font use will all incorporate this theme. The image will include dark lighting so that it has a mysterious and eerie feel to it, it will include a close up picture of either the main victim/hero in the film or the main villain. The colour pallet that I will be using in my text is red, black and white as this is the typical colour scheme for a horror theme and is easy to work with as the colours all contract each other and therefore stand out, with the black representing dark and mysterious connotations and the red representing blood and danger in the film. The font that I will be using will be a type face font that is easy to read but I will also be using a more chilling font in the red colour to represent the horror theme.

2. The target audience of my text will be teenagers who are 15 and over as the film will have its main characters as teenagers, however because the film is a horror it will be rated a fifteen and so will be targeted at people older than that. The gender of the audience will be mixed as horror films tend to be aimed at both genders. 

3. If my film was to be produced in real life then it would need to have a film institution to produce it, after researching into some film institutions and the films that they have produced I have found that ‘Rogue Films’ is an institution that tends to produce horror films with similar genres to the one I am creating and are also a well established and well known brand that people know of, however this company may not be as well known as companies such as universal, or paramount pictures but these companies have not produced as many films in the same genre as mine as the major companies tend not to produce horror films. However my film will be a British film as it will be filmed in Britain and include British characters, and therefor I have done some research into British film companies that would produce my product in real life, studio canal is a British film institution that has funding from universal, this would be a good company to produce my film because it is well established and has the funding to advertise the film with trailers in the cinemas and on television which would increase sales for the film.

Film Trailer Research

Films have the overall aim to make a profit and entertain, however creating a film is a very expensive process that costs millions of pounds, and so money needs to be made in order to pay back investors, pay the costs of production and make enough money for the next release. Film trailers are used as a form of advertising for the film, they are shown on TV, in the cinema and online. A film trailer can establish the genre of the film, highlight important characters, for example famous actors and actresses, that will also act as a major selling point for a film, and can give the audience a brief intake of the storyline so that they know its a film that they want to see.
A trailer tends to be created at the same time as the film is being edited, they tend to be shown a couple months before the release of the film, however with some major sequels and prequels to films such as harry potter, twilight and paranormal activity the trailer will be shown far in advance in order to build up the audiences anticipation for the film.
Trailers are a form in their own right and have a range of features that establishes the difference between the trailer and the film, a trailer only has around a minute and a half to catch the audiences attention and make its mark and therefore will incorporate some of the films most intense moments/ funny moments/ scary moments/ romantic moments, depending on the genre however will not ruin the film for the reader by showing all of the important parts. The music is a very important part of a trailer as it helps establish the genre of the film and creates a mood for the particular scene. Some more conventions of a trailer would be, voice-overs that tell the story and give credit information such as actor names and director names, one-line conversations between characters, establishment of location, film title appearance at the end of the trailer, and dramatic camera angles.